Vol. 547 No. 1
126 Mr. Timmins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position with regard to the delay in issuing work permits for non-EEA nationals; the plans which are in place to deal with the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2744/02]
It is the policy of the Department to process applications for work permits strictly in the order in which they are received. The processing time for work permit applications has risen due to the unprecedented number of applications received in the Department, especially in November and December 2001. In the last week of December alone, some 1950 applications arrived in the Department. This should be seen in the context of an economy which has slowed from the extraordinary growth rates achieved in previous years.
Increases in staff resources and overtime facilitated the issue of over 36,000 work permits in the year 2001, compared to 18,000 in the previous year. The Department is continuing to examine options for significantly reducing the processing time for the issue of work permits. The question of the appropriate level of resources for the work permits section will be reviewed again in the light of the experience with the new arrangements for consideration of applications involving prior engagement by employers with the placement services in FÁS.
