Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 22 Feb 2001

Vol. 531 No. 2

Written Answers. - Work Permits.

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

58 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reasons this country has not yet ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers; if it is her intention to ratify the Convention; and, if so, the date by which ratification is planned. [5286/01]

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. T. Kitt)

Only eight of the 41 member states of the Council of Europe have signed its Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers, 1977. Those states are France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

The substance of this convention was incorporated into the Council of Europe's Revised European Social Charter, 1996, which Ireland signed and ratified on 4 November 2000.

Articles 18 and 19 of the Revised European Social Charter – the Right to Engage in a Gainful Occupation in the Territory of Other Parties (Member States of the Council of Europe) and the Right of Migrant Workers and Their Families to Protection and Assistance – are the main articles dedicated to the issue of migrant workers.

Ireland signed and ratified the revised charter because it is a new human rights treaty which updates the rights protected in the original European Social Charter of 1961 in areas such as employment, social protection, non-discrimination, education and health. It also incorporates the Convention of the Rights of Migrant Workers, 1977.

There is no supervisory mechanism within the Council of Europe in relation to the 1977 Con vention as such. However, a consultative committee meets occasionally to discuss its operation. With regard to the Revised Social Charter, there is a regular reporting requirement on all contracting parties, that is, member states of the Council of Europe which have signed and ratified the Revised European Social Charter, to submit detailed national reports on the implementation of the revised charter. These national reports are subject to detailed scrutiny by different committees within the Council of Europe, and ultimately by the Committee of Foreign Ministers.

This international system of supervision monitors the effective application of both the original and revised charters by the 28 states that have signed and ratified either of them to date. In a number of cases, the effect of this supervision has led to improvements in the social legislation and practice in the member state concerned.

Given the above arrangements, Ireland has chosen the more ambitious option for the protection of migrant workers within the framework of the Council of Europe's international instruments by signing and ratifying the Revised Social Charter last November. I am satisfied therefore, that this obviates the need for Ireland to sign and ratify the 1977 Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers.

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

59 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of work permits and work visas which were issued to nationals of non-European Union member states in the years 1998 and 1999; in each month of the year 2000, and the month of January 2001. [5287/01]

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

60 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the percentage of work permits issued to non-European Union nationals in 2000 which were for one year or less; over one year and up to two years; over two years and up to three years; and over three years. [5288/01]

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

61 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the nationality of non-European Union citizens to whom work permits were issued in 2000, giving the numbers of persons of each nationality. [5289/01]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 to 61, inclusive, together.

The number of work permits issued to employers to allow them to employ non-European Economic Area nationals in the State in the years 1998 and 1999; in each month of the year 2000; and the month of January 2001 as well as the number refused are set out in the following Table A.

The total number of working visas/work authorisations issued to employees from non-EEA states to allow them to take up employment in Ireland for the period since the new scheme began are also set out in Table A .

The total number of work permits issued to non-EEA nationals in 2000, that is, 18,006, were all for one year or less. Work permits are issued for any period between one month and one year but not beyond. A renewal application can be made for periods of up to one year at a time.

Details of the nationality of employees from non-EEA states on whose behalf work permits were issued in 2000, giving the number of persons of each nationality are set out in the following Table B.

Table A

Work Permits

Year	Month	Issued	Refused
1998	–	5,714	179
1999	–	6,250	278
2000	January	707	19
	February	697	47
	March	825	33
	April	800	19
	May	1,169	34
	June	1,612	26
	July	2,265	37
	August	1,534	22
	September	1,035	16
	October	2,442	42
	November	3,209	46
	December	1,711	22
Total for 2000		18,006	363
2001	January	2,184	47

Working Visa/Work Authorisation Scheme

Year	Month	Working Visa/Work Authorisation
2000	June	173
	July	142
	August	170
	September	110
	October	237
	November	218
	December	335
Total for 2000		1,385
2001	January	351

Table B

Work Permits issued in year 2000

	Nationality	NewPermits	Renewals	GroupPermits	Issued	Refused
	Afghanistan	1	0	0	1	0
	Albania	2	0	0	2	1
	Algeria	12	8	0	20	1
	America	1	0	0	1	0
	Argentina	22	1	0	23	4
	Armenia	4	1	0	5	0
	Australia	653	115	0	768	15
	Austria	1	0	0	1	0
	Bahrain	4	1	0	5	0
	Bangladesh	242	37	0	279	2
	Barbados	2	4	0	6	0
	Belarus	164	10	0	174	1
	Benin	1	0	0	1	0
	Bolivia	3	0	0	3	0
	Bosnia Herzegovina	15	1	0	16	0
	Botswana	7	0	0	7	0
	Brazil	545	93	0	638	0
	Brunei	7	1	0	8	0
	Bulgaria	151	10	0	161	1
	Burma	0	1	0	1	0
	Cameroon	9	2	0	11	0
	Canada	726	59	0	785	11
	Chile	8	2	0	10	1
	China	307	87	0	394	60
	Colombia	6	3	0	9	0
	Congo	1	0	0	1	0
	Congo Republic of	1	0	0	1	0
	Congo (Democratic Republic of)	2	0	0	2	0
	Costa Rica	2	1	0	3	0
	Croatia	82	10	0	92	3
	Cuba	2	2	0	4	0
	Cyprus	4	1	0	5	0
	Czech Republic	902	51	0	953	7
	Ecuador	8	1	0	9	0
	Egypt	79	21	0	100	14
	El Salvador	2	0	0	2	0
	Eritrea	2	1	0	3	0
	Estonia	333	3	0	336	0
	Ethiopia	6	2	0	8	0
	Gambia	4	0	0	4	1
	Georgia	1	0	0	1	0
	Ghana	7	2	0	9	0
	Guatemala	4	0	0	4	0
	Guinea (Republic of)	1	0	0	1	0
	Hong Kong	114	50	0	164	7
	Hungary	205	55	0	260	7
	India	491	153	0	644	9
	Indonesia	23	2	0	25	0
	Iran	17	8	0	25	0
	Iraq	3	5	0	8	0
	Israel	26	13	0	39	1
	Ivory Coast	3	0	0	3	0
	Jamaica	16	3	0	19	0
	Japan	104	72	0	176	2
	Jordan	14	1	0	15	3
	Kazakhstan	24	1	0	25	0
	Kenya	11	5	0	16	0
	Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic of (North))	4	0	0	4	1
	Korea (Republic of (South))	22	19	0	41	3
	Kosovo	1	0	0	1	0
	Kuwait	5	3	0	8	0
	Kyrghyz Republic	1	1	0	2	0
	Latvia	2,086	80	0	2,166	31
	Lebanon	5	5	0	10	1
	Libya	8	3	0	11	0
	Lithuania	835	14	0	849	8
	Macedonia (FYR)	6	1	0	7	0
	Madagascar	1	0	0	1	0
	Malawi	1	0	0	1	0
	Malaysia	684	93	0	777	9
	Malta	17	3	0	20	0
	Nationality	NewPermits	Renewals	GroupPermits	Issued	Refused
	Mauritania	1	0	0	1	0
	Mauritius	7	2	0	9	0
	Mexico	34	13	0	47	2
	Moldova	108	10	0	118	1
	Mongolia	0	0	0	0	1
	Morocco	45	16	0	61	2
	Myanmar (Formerly Burma)	7	0	0	7	0
	Namibia	1	0	0	1	0
	Nepal	14	13	0	27	0
	New Caledonia	1	0	0	1	0
	New Zealand	353	67	0	420	18
	Nicaragua	2	0	0	2	0
	Nigeria	49	11	0	60	3
	Oman	3	5	0	8	0
	Pakistan	367	101	0	468	11
	Palestine	13	4	0	17	1
	Panama	0	1	0	1	0
	Paraquay	2	0	0	2	0
	Peru	10	2	0	12	0
	Philippines	908	83	0	991	22
	Poland	810	95	0	905	5
	Romania	362	36	0	398	8
	Russian Federation	695	126	0	821	9
	Rwanda	1	0	0	1	0
	Saudi Arabia	1	0	0	1	0
	Senegal	1	1	0	2	0
	Sierra Leone	1	0	0	1	0
	Singapore	36	7	0	43	0
	Slovakia	172	19	0	191	2
	Slovenia	10	3	0	13	0
	South Africa	562	75	0	637	24
	Sri Lanka	6	6	0	12	2
	Sudan	13	7	0	20	1
	Swaziland	1	0	0	1	0
	Switzerland	161	61	0	222	2
	Syria	11	9	0	20	0
	Taiwan	8	0	0	8	1
	Tanzania	8	2	0	10	2
	Thailand	110	24	0	134	1
	Trinidad & Tobago	16	7	0	23	0
	Tunisia	27	0	0	27	1
	Turkey	49	20	0	69	4
	Turkmenistan	2	0	0	2	0
	Uganda	3	0	0	3	0
	Ukraine	366	26	0	392	11
	United Arab Emirates	18	2	0	20	1
	United States of America	818	245	0	1,063	20
	Uruguay	0	1	0	1	0
	U.S.A.	1	2	0	3	0
	Venezuela	8	4	0	12	0
	Vietnam	8	1	0	9	0
	West Indies	2	0	0	2	0
	Yemen	1	1	0	2	0
	Yugoslavia (Federal Republic of)	99	37	0	136	0
	Zambia	6	0	0	6	0
	Zimbabwe	53	5	0	58	1
	(Group Permits)	0	0	301	301	3
Total		15,434	2,271	301	18,006	363