Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2021
64. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the immediate efforts that are being made to fast-track the employment permits for the meat processing industry and the pig slaughtering plants in particular to avoid the imminent crisis facing the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47043/21]
View answerThe employment permits system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and/or labour shortages, in circumstances where there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.
In order to maintain the relevance of these lists of occupations to the needs of the economy and to ensure the employment permits system is aligned with current labour market intelligence, these lists undergo twice-yearly evidence-based reviews which are guided by research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), the Skills and the Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU), SOLAS and involves public/stakeholder consultation. Account is taken of education outputs, sectoral upskilling and training initiatives and known contextual factors such as Brexit and, in the current context, COVID-19 and their impact on the labour market. Consideration is also taken of the views of the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group, chaired by the Department and of the relevant policy Departments.
In May 2018, a pilot quota-based scheme was introduced to remove certain agri-food occupations from the ineligible occupations list. The scheme provided for 2,500 General Employment Permits for the meat processing industry, 500 for horticulture and 150 for the dairy sector to address the immediate needs of the sectors in sourcing labour. In addition, a quota of 300 permits was granted in respect of meat deboners. To date this pilot scheme has proved very successful for a range of employers in the sector. All quotas expired in December 2019.
A review is currently underway with 26 submissions received, including from the meat and pig processing sectors, under consideration. It is expected that the review will be finalised in early Autumn.
