Vol. 475 No. 2
112 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if citizens of Norway have the same access to employment in Ireland as citizens of EU countries or if there are any restrictions on residence in Ireland for citizens of Norway or any permits required for that purpose; and if work permits are required by Norwegian citizens to work in Ireland. [4658/97]
Citizens of Norway have the same access to employment here as Irish or EU citizens and they may take up employment in the State without the need for their employer to first obtain a work permit from my Department. This is because Norway is a member of the European Economic Area — EEA — whose citizens are treated the same as EU nationals in this regard. My Department is not responsible for residence permits but I understand from my colleague, the Minister for Justice, that the provisions regarding the rights of residence of EEA nationals are set out in a number of EC directives which have been transposed into Irish law. The Irish regulations set down the conditions for the issue or refusal of residence permits to EEA nationals. In general, refusals relate to matters of public policy, public security or public health.
