Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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99. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider removing the restrictions regarding work permits that limit those in receipt of the permits to only accept work from limited industries given that this limitation is currently preventing persons (details supplied) from taking up work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9805/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland operates a managed employment permits system which maximises the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. The system is intended to act as a conduit for key skills which are required to develop enterprise in the State for the benefit of our economy, while simultaneously protecting the balance of the labour market. The system is, by design, vacancy led and driven by the changing needs of the labour market, expanding and contracting in tandem with its inherent fluctuations.

The State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State and other EEA states. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and EEA, an employment permit may be sought by an employer to hire a non-EEA national.

All employment permits granted are employer and employee specific and therefore cannot be transferred from one employer to another. This means that if a permit holder ceases employment with a company or is made redundant, they must obtain a new employment permit before entering a new employment.

When an employment permit holder is made redundant from their employment, they are required to notify the Employment Permits Section of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment within 4 weeks of the redundancy date on the prescribed Redundancy Notification form, available on the Department's website.

By Completing the Redundancy Notification Form appropriately, an employment permit holder has up to six months from the date on which their employment ceases to find another job. The new permit application is exempt from certain rules that would otherwise apply including the requirement to complete a Labour Market Needs Test in respect of a new application for a General Employment Permit in respect of a new job offer.

Occupations included on the Ineligible List are occupations where there is evidence that there are more than enough Irish/EEA workers available to fill such vacancies, and therefore an employment permit shall not be granted in Ireland. Every other job in the labour market, where an employer cannot find a worker, may be eligible for an employment permit.

In cases of redundancy, if the permit holder is in an occupation which is now ineligible for the type of employment permit held, and they are offered the same job by a different employer, an employment permit application will still be considered for the same employment permit type.

The redundancy waivers for permit holders who have been made redundant are valid for a period of 6 months from the date of redundancy. Details in relation to permit holders being made redundant can be accessed on the Department’s website through this link:- enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Redundancy/

Information is also provided on the Department’s website in respect of all employment permits including information regarding to each permit type, Checklist documents for a General Employment Permits and an FAQ document which answers the majority of the most common questions, all of which are available through this link – enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/

Information in relation to changing employers is available on the Department’s website and can be accessed through the following link:- enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Changing-Employer/.