Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 April 2019
153. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if the healthcare assistant role will be removed from the ineligible categories of employment on the employment permits list on a controlled basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15541/19]
View answerThe State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State and other EEA states. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and EEA, an employment permit may be sought from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation by an employer to hire a non-EEA national. It should be noted that the overall policy is that recruitment of workers from non-EEA countries should be a last resort and all other avenues should be first exhausted.
Ireland operates a managed employment permits system which maximises the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. It operates a list system for in-demand occupations (the highly skilled list) and those for whom a ready source of labour is available (the ineligible list).
Care workers (including healthcare assistants) are currently included on the ineligible list of employments. Changes to access to the Irish labour market for specific occupations via the employment permits system are made on the basis of evidence which involves research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and the National Skills Council in tandem with an extensive public consultation process with Government Departments, agencies, industry and social partners invited to provide observations.
Retention issues in the State’s labour market should not be addressed through the deployment of the employment permits system. There would need to be a clear demonstration that recruitment difficulties are solely due to shortages and not to other factors such as salary and/or working conditions.
There has been engagement between the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and my Department regarding the healthcare assistant role in this regard. My Department also met with the sectoral representatives and considered a business case in relation to this role. The sector has been advised that more evidence is required of the labour shortages rather than recruitment difficulties and to demonstrate full engagement with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. On provision of the evidence required by the sector, this matter may be reconsidered further.
