As the Deputy is aware, it is my intention to present to the Government next Tuesday a memorandum in relation to immigration policy. There is a need for a proactive policy. At present an employer must find an employee and then make an application to my Department for a permit. If those employees live abroad, it is a cumbersome process which takes a long time. It is not satisfactory. The intention is to have a proactive policy to identify on a skills basis people who could be offered jobs in this economy from outside the EEA and to put a mechanism in place, through FÁS and other agencies, to recruit such persons. The Government will make a decision on that matter next Tuesday and, when a decision is made, the proposals will be published.
Mr. Paul Tansey, who carried out an economic study for Forfás, forecast that in order for the terms of the national development plan to be implemented, it will be necessary to bring an additional 200,000 workers into the country. Although the labour force is growing in this country, it is doing so at a much slower rate than in other European countries. We estimate that 100,000 of those 200,000 people will comprise Irish people returning to Ireland from abroad. A huge effort is currently being made to attract Irish citizens back into the country.
Some 2,500 of the people currently seeking asylum in Ireland are qualified to work and they have been issued with authorisations by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. A unit is being established within FÁS to assist them with training and securing employment.