Vol. 392 No. 7
asked the Minister for Labour, in respect of 1988 and from 1 January 1989 to 31 October 1989, the number of applications for work permits which he has received from people wishing to work in the catering trade; the nationality of the applicants; the number granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
97.
asked the Minister for Labour, in respect of 1988 and from 1 January 1989 to 31 October 1989, the number of work permits his Department has granted; in respect of such permits, the areas of employment to which they related; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
98.
asked the Minister for Labour, in respect of 1988 and from 1 January 1989 to 31 October 1989, the number of work permits that have been refused by him; if, in respect of those applications, he will outline the reasons for refusal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 to 98, inclusive, together. The following table illustrates the number of work permits issued and the number refused for 1988 and between 1 January — 31 October 1989.
|
1988 |
1 Jan. — 31 Oct. 1989 |
|
|
Work permits issued |
2,318 |
2,202 |
|
Work permits refused |
157 |
118 |
A breakdown of work permits issued by main area of employment, is as follows:
|
Category |
1988 |
Numbers 1 Jan. — 31 Oct. 1989 |
|
Industry |
479 |
390 |
|
Medical |
951 |
1,005 |
|
Services |
372 |
384 |
|
Others |
516 |
423 |
|
Total |
2,318 |
2,202 |
Details in relation to applications received in respect of the catering sector during 1988 and between 1 January — 31 October 1989 are as follows:
Catering Sector
|
1988 |
1 Jan. — 31 Oct. 1989 |
|
|
Applications received |
278 |
254 |
Because of the time-lags involved in processing applications it is not possible, without examining each individual application, to supply information on the decisions taken in relation to these applications during the two periods in question. However statistics on the number of work permits actually processed during the two periods are as follows:
Catering Sector
|
1988 |
1 Jan. — 31 Oct. 1989 |
|
|
Work permits issued |
183 |
169 |
|
Work permits refused |
102 |
76 |
|
Total processed |
285 |
245 |
A breakdown of the nationality of persons who are the subject of work permit applications in the catering sector is not readily available. The cost of abstracting such information from the records would be prohibitive and could not be justified. However, information is available on the nationalities of work permit recipients and the table below gives these details.
Nationality of Work Permit Recipients.
|
January— |
January— |
||
|
December 1988 |
September 1989 |
||
|
USA |
420 |
USA |
324 |
|
Pakistan |
300 |
Pakistan |
303 |
|
India |
294 |
India |
242 |
|
Romania |
103 |
Japan |
123 |
|
Japan |
86 |
Egypt |
64 |
|
Egypt |
83 |
Malaysia |
64 |
|
Spain |
83 |
Spain |
56 |
|
Hong Kong |
82 |
Hong Kong |
52 |
|
Canada |
73 |
Libya |
50 |
|
Libya |
71 |
China |
48 |
|
Others |
723 |
Others |
589 |
|
Total |
2,318 |
Total |
1,915 |
My policy in relation to the granting or refusal of a work permit is based on the need to ensure that employment opportunities arising here are reserved, as far as possible, for Irish and EC nationals. The granting of a work permit is not considered unless an employer can prove that, despite all reasonable efforts, no suitably qualified Irish or European Community nationals are available for the position in question or unless the application falls into one of the following categories: (a) the prospective employee is a key worker and that a substantial amount of high quality employment for Irish/EC nationals will arise as a result; (b) the prospective employee is married to an Irish or EC national or a dependant or child under 21 of an Irish or EC national; (c) the person is coming as part of an officially recognised exchange programme; and (d) the prospective employee is an officially recognised refugee. Non-EC nationals in respect of whom work permits are issued must also satisfy immigration regulations.
