Work Permits Applications Data

Thursday, 27 October 2016

Questions (188)

Frank O'Rourke

Question:

188. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of employment permit applications received by the employment permits section per month and annually; the number of permit applications refused; the number of those refused which go on to appeal; the number of appeals that result in the original decision being overturned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32431/16]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

My Department's Employment Permits Section administers the Employment Permits system, the broad purpose of which is to supplement Ireland's skills supply by allowing enterprise to recruit non-EEA nationals where those nationals have specific skills or expertise which cannot be sourced within the EEA and where such recruitment may benefit the State's economic sector or social development. In line with employment permit policy, employment opportunities which arise in Ireland should, in the first instance, be offered to suitably skilled Irish and other EEA nationals, and should only be offered to non-EEA nationals where no suitable candidate emerges from within the EEA to fill the vacancy.

All employment permits are processed in line with the Employment Permits Act 2006, as amended, which sets out in legislation the procedures to be applied in the application, grant, refusal and appeal of an employment permit.

I set out hereunder the figures as requested by the Deputy for the years 2014, 2015 and to end September 2016.

2014	Applications Received	Issued	Refused	Appeals Received	Appeals Granted
Jan	412	449	81	31	7
Feb	379	302	55	28	12
Mar	416	353	72	15	14
Apr	456	313	56	16	12
May	710	384	40	18	8
Jun	683	589	51	24	7
Jul	749	888	85	25	32
Aug	529	493	16	24	9
Sep	610	819	26	27	23
Oct	318	7	3	0	0
Nov	568	339	43	15	1
Dec	483	556	60	27	9
Total	6313	5492	588	250	134

2015	Applications Received	Issued	Refused	Appeals Received	Appeals Granted
Jan	635	481	64	22	5
Feb	498	371	61	36	13
Mar	636	472	63	22	19
Apr	636	770	71	23	10
May	809	534	48	32	4
Jun	943	822	36	21	9
Jul	922	692	56	26	5
Aug	710	291	44	26	4
Sep	620	742	118	28	10
Oct	811	918	134	72	18
Nov	987	738	139	45	23
Dec	814	434	72	64	11
Total	9021	7265	906	417	131

2016	Applications Received	Issued	Refused	Appeals Received	Appeals Granted
Jan	799	492	79	31	17
Feb	680	896	111	41	32
Mar	778	773	126	58	32
Apr	957	851	188	64	33
May	1298	850	134	94	42
Jun	1245	1020	159	74	27
Jul	960	1081	138	50	33
Aug	934	1100	273	72	22
Sep	820	386	126	80	12
Total	8471	7449	1334	564	250