I know the Tánaiste's Department leads on the oversight of work permits from non-EU and non-EEA countries. I have engaged on this specific issue previously with the Minister of State, Deputy English. The critical skills occupation list was last updated in June 2022, relatively recently, but is there sufficient cross-departmental engagement on addressing specific skills shortages in particular areas? In this case I am referring specifically to a shortage of bus drivers and the difficulty getting work permits for people who are adequately qualified and ready to come here to provide services but who are unable to do so because they are unable to access the correct permits. Do we have any plans to review that list or to engage in a cross-departmental way to make sure we are addressing skills shortages that exist in our economy?

We review that list every six months, so it is probably up for review about now. It is handled by the Minister of State, Deputy English, as Deputy Ó Cathasaigh mentioned. Generally, we are guided by what we hear from employers as to which skills and posts they cannot fill. Two have crossed our desks a lot recently. One is bus drivers, which the Deputy mentioned. There are well-qualified bus drivers from outside the EU who could come here and help solve some of our problems. The other relates to care. There is a very significant shortage of home carers in the country, as the Deputy will be aware. The qualifications in that sector are more complicated but those are the two areas we are looking at, with a view to expanding the permits within the next couple of weeks.