Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 June 2004
100 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a renewal work permit was issued for a person, details supplied, in County Roscommon; when a duplicate permit was issued; the permit number in each case; if it is unusual for two permits to be lost in the post; the procedure which the applicant must now employ to receive a work permit renewal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16190/04]
View answer101 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason work permits are not issued by registered post; the number of permits which have to be issued annually due to the fact they are not received by the applicant; the number of duplicate permits which are not received by the applicants on an annual basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16191/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 101 together.
I am informed that a work permit, permit number 0057502, was issued by post to the employer at the relevant address on 18 February 2004. I am also informed, following receipt of statement of loss and confirmation from the employer that the address is correct, that a duplicate permit, permit number 0045579, was issued on 10 May 2004. Given the circumstances, and the fact that two permits have already been issued, the Department cannot consider the issuing of a third permit in this case. However, the work permit section will provide the employer with a sealed copy of the cover letter, which should suffice for immigration purposes.
Approximately 48,000 work permits were issued in 2003 and one can appreciate the high cost implications if they were to be issued by registered post. While a note is taken when a duplicate permit is issued, there are no statistics available. However, the work permit section is satisfied that the number of duplicate permits issued is relatively small.
102 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the new regulations for the prioritisation of work permits for spouses of specific categories of workers have been implemented; the date on which they were implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16192/04]
View answer104 Mr. McHugh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of spouses of foreign nationals on work permits who accompany their partners to this country in terms of their ability to take up employment here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16261/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 104 together.
Spouses of nationals from outside the European economic area, EEA, are not prohibited from working in the State. However, they require an employment permit in their own right. In light of difficulties experienced by some spouses, I recently announced new arrangements designed to give greater ease of access to employment for the spouses of certain non-EEA nationals working in the State under specified schemes and facilities. These arrangements have been in operation for some weeks now.
A detailed set of guidelines, outlining the eligibility criteria and procedures relating to these arrangements, have been available on my Department's website since April. They have also been circulated to a range of Departments, health bodies and other relevant organisations, including employer organisations, to promote as wide a circulation of this information as possible. Some 112 work permits have already been granted to eligible spouses.
103 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if new work permits will be issued to foreign nationals whose current employers decide to replace them with workers from the EU accession countries in order to save the €500 work permit renewal fee; if termination of employment under these circumstances qualifies as unfair dismissal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16194/04]
View answerMy Department can only consider the issue of a work permit when it has a specific application from an employer. In the buoyant labour market of recent years my Department has been able to adopt a very flexible approach towards meeting the needs of work permit personnel who lose an existing job and who find a prospective new employer. My Department is generally sympathetically disposed to applications where the proposed employee previously worked legally for another employer and lost that employment through no fault of his own. I also assure the Deputy that my Department will keep developments in this area of the labour market under review over coming months.
Allegations of unfair dismissal have to be considered in the circumstances of each case and there already are procedures for handling complaints in this area.
