Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Dec 1996

Vol. 473 No. 3

Written Answers. - Work Permits.

Noel Ahern

Question:

222 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the number of valid work permits currently issued and being operated in the State; and if he will give details by duration of current or previous permits to the individuals involved. [25175/96]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

Applications for work permits are considered under the Aliens Act, 1935, the Aliens Order, 1946 and 1975 and the European Communities (Aliens) Regulations, 1977-93. Work permits are granted to employers who wish to employ non-EEA nationals, the EEA comprises the EU, Norway and Iceland. Work permits are only granted where my Department is satisfied that the vacancy cannot be filled by an Irish-EEA national.

The total number of work permits issued to employers to allow them to employ non-EEA nationals in the State for the current year, up to 16 December 1996, is as follows:

Number of new work permits issued	2,359
Number of renewals of existing work permits	1,378
Total number of valid current work permits	3,737

As regards the renewals it is not possible to provide information regarding the duration of previous permits issued in respect of the individual employees concerned. As stated above work permits are granted to the employers and not to the individual employees concerned.

Work permits are valid for a maximum period of one year depending on the circumstances of the proposed employment. After a work permit has expired an application for a renewal can be considered by my Department using the same criteria as those applied to the original application.