Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

2. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the timeline for the completion of the latest critical skills and ineligible occupation lists. [48497/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, in circumstances where there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.

The system is managed through the use of lists designating highly skilled and ineligible occupations. The lists are reviewed twice a year to ensure their ongoing relevance to the State’s human capital requirements. A current review of the occupations lists for employment permits is well underway with submissions received from a range of sectors under active consideration. It is expected that the review will be finalised in the coming weeks and any changes necessary to deal with verified skills or labour shortages will be made at that time.