104 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the changes which have occurred in the process of obtaining work permits in the past few months; the number of work permits which were issued each month in 2001; the categories of work to which they related; and if her Department has completed work on a new form of work permit document. [1393/02]

With effect from 2 January 2002, new applications for work permits from employers must be accompanied by relevant documentation from FÁS confirming that all reasonable efforts have been made by the employer, in co-operation with the FÁS employment services, to fill the vacancy through the domestic or wider EEA labour market. These new arrangements do not apply to applications in respect of professional medical personnel or to employers seeking to renew a work permit in respect of an existing employee.

In addition, the fees for work permits have increased. The fee for a work permit for one year's duration is now 400. Concerning a new form of work permit document, discussions are taking place with the appropriate authorities in relation to including new security features and it is expected that a new version of the work permit will be introduced in the near future.

The number of work permits which issued per month and the categories of work they pertained to are set out in the following tabular statement:

Work Permits issued per month in 2001