I am aware of the recent report by the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, entitled Work Permits and Exploitation: Time for Reform, in the context of proposing changes to the system of issuing work permits, and assume this is to what the Deputy's question refers.
Since 2004, a key element of Irish labour market policy has been to ensure that general labour and skills needs are met from indigenous labour and from within the workforce of the European Union. For strategic skills or labour shortages in designated occupations in key economic sectors, Government policy is to issue employment permits for the employment of non-EEA nationals for specific vacancies and in response to employer demand. The various schemes that give effect to such policies — green cards, work permits, spousal and dependant work permits, and permits for intra-company transferees — were introduced following enactment of the Employment Permits Act 2006 and came into effect on 1 February 2007.
The Employment Permits Act 2006 provides immigrants with greater freedom, autonomy and control over their own employment choices by enabling workers, for the first time, to apply and reapply for their own permits. The Act also allows workers to change their employer after a period and move to another employment to take advantage of better conditions or career options.
It is important to retain the current arrangements which operate to protect employees as it allows the system to trace employers who employ permit holders. The current arrangements for moving jobs are sufficiently flexible. A properly controlled employment permit system requires that permits be issued to a specific employee for a specific job with a specific employer. To do otherwise would not only risk abuse of the employment permit system but would make it much more difficult to ensure that employers observed the employment rights of employees.
Although employment permits are employer and location specific, the Department currently makes efforts to facilitate those who encounter difficult positions and who wish to change employers with new employment permits. In the past year, for example, almost 1,500 new employment permits were issued in respect of employees changing to new employers. These permit applications were issued without regard to the normal requirements of advertising the position in daily newspapers and with FÁS.
Exploitation in the labour market is unacceptable and I urge all who find themselves in this position, including employees on employment permits or persons who know of such an issue, to contact the National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, which will investigate these matters. Whereas reporting of breaches can sometimes present difficulties for employees who hold permits linked to a particular employer, I remind the Deputy that NERA will also act on complaints made anonymously. That is critical. We have heard very disturbing stories from the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland so anybody with information should contact NERA, even if it is on an anonymous basis.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
The Employment Permits Act 2006 provides for regular review of Ireland's economic migration policies and my Department keeps these policies under review on an ongoing basis.