Written answers

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Work Permits

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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882. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current number of work permits allocated for motor-auto mechanics; the number therein of the car mechanic quota and of the HGV-bus mechanic quota that have been issued; if he has any plans to review those quotas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41020/25]

Photo of Alan DillonAlan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising disruption to Ireland’s labour market.

The system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages required to develop and support enterprise for the benefit of our economy.

However, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals are available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.

The system is by design, vacancy led and managed through the operation of the occupation lists: the critical skills list in respect of highly skilled professionals roles that in critical shortage in the labour market and the ineligible occupations list for which a source of labour should be available from within Ireland and the EEA.

A review of the occupations lists has just been announced and is a valuable opportunity for stakeholders to engage with the employment permits system and determines where adjustments are appropriate based on the evidence and the observations of a cross departmental group on Economic Migration Policy.

The department maintains awareness of skills and labour shortages in key sectors and the challenges faced by the country and the economy during this time of high employment. The department permits system is flexible enough to adjust to those demands both through the formal review of the lists process but also facilitation changes to the lists at times of need.

The review of the Occupations Lists provides a structured process for evaluating labour market needs. In 2023, Car Mechanics, Motor Mechanics, Auto Electricians, Motor Vehicle Technicians, and HGV/Bus Mechanics were removed from the Ineligible Occupations list and were made eligible for an employment permit restriction to quota.

When that quota was exhausted, the Department received significant representations from across the sector including private garages, Dublin Bus, and Bus Eireann. After consulting with the Department of Transport it became clear that the industry was under resourced.

As a result, extensions to the quota were approved, most recently by 200 in April this year bringing the total available to 600, demonstrating that where the case is strong, and the labour market impact is immediate the system can respond in real time. This flexibility is an important feature of the employment permits system.

To date, there has been 429 permits issued from the total quota of 600.

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