Vol. 535 No. 1
115 Ms Clune asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has to apply for a renewal of his work visa every year; if his process can be shortened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11711/01]
The rationale of the work permit system, as in other countries, is to allow employers to fill a post, on a temporary basis, with a non-national where it cannot be filled either by an Irish or other EEA national. The circumstances in respect of a particular sector or post may well change within a year and it is for this reason that permits are issued only for one year at a time. If circumstances are still the same after 12 months then a renewed work permit may be sought and granted.
If an employee remains with the same employer for five years a permit without limit may issue to that employer. The employer would not then need to apply for a further work permit unless the employee's passport number is changed. In the case of the individual concerned, he is currently on his fourth work permit. This will expire later this year. While processing time for renewals is kept as short as possible, it is reasonable to expect applicants to engage in some forward planning in this area.
