Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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426. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will help in addressing the shortage of carers for elderly persons available in the State by allowing non-European Union workers of private care companies to work for 40-hours per week similar to non-European Union workers who work directly for the HSE and nursing homes rather than the current 20-hours per week permitted under their student work visas (details supplied). [31463/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department has responsibility for immigration-related matters, including the entry and residence conditions of non-EEA students, who are granted a Stamp 2 immigration permission, and continually consults and engages with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, among other key sectoral stakeholders, in this area.

A student's primary purpose for being in the State is to study. All applicants for permission to study in Ireland must show that they have sufficient funds to support their stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.

However, since April 2001, non-EEA students with an immigration Stamp 2 permission, and who are enrolled on courses with education providers listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) including English language courses, have been afforded the opportunity to work.

This allows them to take up casual employment to supplement their income while studying in Ireland. During term time, non-EEA students can work up to 20 hours per week and during normal college holiday periods they can work on a full time basis up to 40 hours per week.

The conditions attaching to all immigration permissions are kept under ongoing review by my Department with all relevant stakeholders. Any changes to the work entitlements of non-EEA students would be a policy decision for the wider stakeholder group.

Any non-EEA national who is on a stamp 1 or stamp 4 permission with an entitlement to work is not limited in the hours that they can work per week. It is open to any person to seek to change their immigration permission if they are eligible to do so and if they meet the criteria attaching to the new immigration permission.

Employment permits and the conditions attaching to them are a matter for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Further details can be found on that Department's website at: www.enterprise.gov.ie.