Vol. 518 No. 5
7 Mr. Boylan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which new policy of allowing non-nationals to come to work here based on quotas and skills shortages will operate; and the skills to be covered and the conditions which will be placed on immigrants. [11982/00]
66 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will outline the way in which the new policy of allowing non-nationals to come here to work based on quotas and skills shortages will operate; the skills to be covered; and the conditions which will be placed on such immigrants. [12143/00]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 7 and 66 together.
The Government decided on 28 March 2000 on a range of measures to address Ireland's skill requirements – realising the potential of the Irish labour market, investment in people and retraining and proactive promotion of skill requirements in the EEA, EU applicant countries and globally.
The Government also decided that a working visa system be introduced in respect of information and communication technologies, nursing skills and building professionals which are in short supply in Ireland. The working visa system does not envisage quotas for particular countries or skills but the system will be informed by the realities of the labour market. As part of that process the social partners have been, and will be, consulted in the development and adjustment of immigration policy.
For the designated sectors the working visa system will permit applicants to apply abroad to an Irish embassy or consulate for a single working visa or authorisation if coming from a country where visas are not required for entry. The application will have to be supported by a job offer. Working visas or authorisations issued by embassies and consulates abroad will be valid for two years and permit multiple re-entry on the part of the holder. Visas or authorisations may be renewed in Ireland.
Nurses from certain countries may be required to undergo a period of supervised clinical practice in an Irish teaching hospital before they will be eligible for full registration with An Bord Altranais. Having obtained full registration with An Bord Altranais, on satisfactory completion of the period of supervised practice, such nurses will be issued with a further working visa or authorisation permitting them to work for a further 21 months. Such visas are renewable at two year intervals thereafter in the normal manner.
Do I understand the Tánaiste to say that someone in a country which requires a visa must find an employer in this country? How can a nurse living in a remote part of the Philippines, which is made up of 7,000 islands, and who wishes to come and work in Ireland, find out that St. Vincent's Hospital, for example, needs his or her skills. What safeguards are in place to prevent people who are granted work permits because of the particular skills they possess immediately taking up jobs in another sector? What is to stop a person leaving nursing to work for a pharmaceutical company as a sales agent?
Employers here have to find the person abroad; otherwise, thousands of people would come here without a job. Perhaps ambassadors and honorary consuls would be expected to make decisions on whether the qualifications held were appropriate. That would be an impossible task. We considered every possible option, including that scenario, and what happens in other countries. I do not think there will be a problem. For example, the 200 nurses from the Philippines were recruited by a nurse recruitment agency. That will happen in other sectors also. There is no way a person who comes here on a working visa can be compelled to stay with the company from which he or she received the initial job offer.
Is there a limit?
The position will be reviewed after a period of two years.
Can they leave after a week?
Yes. There is no way a person can be forced to stay. That would not be practical. We have tried to introduce the scheme in the most practical, effective and speedy way possible. The current work permit regime will remain in place for specific cases and sectors not covered by the visa. The process is very slow because of the proofs required.
What is the assessment of the Tánaiste and her Department of the broad coalition who say that, given the extent of the infrastructural deficit, this rate of importation of workers cannot be borne in the short-term and will fuel problems such as traffic and housing?
Many people have said that. If we do not bring in immigrant workers to meet the shortages we will not have the capacity to implement the national development plan. In his analysis for Forfás, Paul Tansey said that to implement the plan an additional 200,000 people will be needed over and above the number who will join the labour force domestically. He envisages that perhaps half will be returned emigrants. We will also risk losing some mobile investment. In discussing possible expansion with some of the big FDI investors their biggest concern is whether they will able to meet their staffing requirements. If we had not done something like this we would have put some of that investment at risk and limited the potential for expansion. A balance is required. That scenario would have been worse economically than the decision we have taken.
Will the Tánaiste consider a trade show for the recruitment of non-nationals? I know of a company in Sligo which has submitted 19 applications for processing at a cost of £125 per application. From the date of application it is taking eight or nine weeks to receive a reply because of the red tape involved. This is too long. Given the huge skills shortage will the Department consider matching employers with non-nationals? This would enable applications to be processed more quickly.
Will people who come here on a work permit be eligible for unemployment assistance or local authority housing if they leave jobs which they consider unsuitable? How will such people be housed?
We hope that those who come here will be in a position to house themselves. On welfare benefits, as the Deputy is aware our obligations extend to everyone living here.
Will they be eligible for unemployment assistance?
Yes. The reason we have ring-fenced the scheme around what I generally call the high skill area is that they are coming here to work. One does not find too many architects, engineers, IT professionals or nurses on the dole anywhere in the world. I do know in which sector the company to which the Deputy referred is involved, but the length of time it takes to grant permits has been reduced from eight weeks to four. As I do not want to become one myself I will be delighted to assist the company in question to get in touch with employment recruitment agencies with which the country is littered and which find employees for companies domestically and globally.
How many staff are in the section?
I do not have that information but the number was increased substantially in recent weeks.
To deal with the influx.
Yes.
