Vol. 550 No. 2
59 Mr. McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of a work permit application by a company (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if a decision in the case can be expedited. [7823/02]
An application from the company (details supplied) was received on 11 January 2002.
It is the policy of the Department to process applications for work permits strictly in the order in which they are received. Assuming that the applications are completed correctly and are otherwise in order, processing time will take approximately 51 working days from the date of receipt of the applications.
The processing time for work permit applications has risen due to the unprecedented number of applications received in the Department, especially in November and December 2001. The number of work permit applications increased from an average of over 350 per week in 2000 to more than 825 per week last year. The level of applications climbed during the year and in December alone, an unprecedented 5,690 applications were received. New procedures were introduced with effect from 2 January 2002 and these have resulted, at least temporarily, in a reduction in the number of applications received.
While staff numbers in the work permit section were increased by 50% last year in an effort to reduce processing time, the very large increase in applications meant that the waiting period could not be reduced. Nevertheless, the staff in the section issued 36,436 permits in 2001, compared with some 18,000 in the year 2000.
