Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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1223. To ask the Minister for Health the avenues that are available to qualified non-EEA citizens to apply for roles in the HSE in order to apply for a critical skills work permit; if non-EEA applicants can contact the HSE for extra support and advice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63473/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The employment permits system is operated by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. Ireland operates a vacancy-led employment permits system, which 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 and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists. These lists determine roles that are either highly skilled professional roles in critical short supply or roles that are ineligible for an employment permit where evidence suggests there is sufficient availability of those skills in the domestic and EEA labour market.

All applications for employment permits are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended, and are dependent on a job offer from a Irish registered employer for an eligible occupation. An application for an Employment Permit may be submitted once an offer of employment is secured, subject to relevant criteria such as minimum remuneration, eligible roles and the skills or experience of the non-EEA national.

Full information on the current eligibility criteria in relation to employment permits can be found on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s website at www.dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/

In June 2021 a number of health roles were removed from the Ineligible Occupations List, including that of health care assistant, to allow applications for General Employment Permits to be made.

In June 2022 changes were made to provide access to the Critical Skills Employment Permit for non-EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the State in the broader health sector for the following roles: cardiac physiologist, medical scientist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, chiropodist, psychologist, speech and language therapist and pharmacist.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances, with a quota of 1,000 General Employment Permits for the role of care workers and home carers announced in December 2022. See: www.enterprise.gov.ie/en/news-and-events/department-news/2022/december/202212171.html

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has a Frequently Asked Questions section on its website which is available at www.dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/FAQs/.