Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that following the consideration of additional information received at review stage in respect of the person concerned (in the details supplied) a decision was made to award a General Employment Permit. The permit issued on 22nd September 2022.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s employment permits system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, but this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.

To align with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo regular, evidence-based review. These reviews are guided by relevant research and a public/stakeholder consultation. The views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group and relevant policy Departments, in this case the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, are also taken into consideration.

Account is taken of upskilling and training initiatives and other known contextual factors. Changes to the employment permit occupations lists are made where there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available, development opportunities are not undermined, a genuine skills shortage exists, rather than a recruitment or retention problem, and Government education, training and economic development policies are supported.

In October 2021, following a comprehensive review of the employment permit occupation lists and in light of the continued labour shortages in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector, I extended previous quotas to release 1000 general employment permits for horticulture operatives, 500 for meat deboners, 1500 for meat processing operatives and introduced a new quota of 100 for dairy farm assistants.

All Agriculture quotas were opened with a proviso that a strategic review on labour attraction and retention in the sector is carried out in order to put in place more sustainable solutions for meeting the labour needs of the sector into the future.

Policy responsibility for Agriculture and related industry is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The Department continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances and the timing of the next Review of the Occupational Lists will be kept under consideration.