The issues surrounding work permits are ongoing. There have been welcome improvements, but the system is far from satisfactory. As we enter the peak season, hospitality, hotels, pubs and entertainment providers are in desperate need of staff. Agriculture, transport, meat processing and healthcare providers continue to battle staff shortages. Some 79% of IT companies report difficulty in finding skilled talent. It was reported recently that four in five Irish companies are struggling to attract talent as Ireland endures its worst labour shortage for 17 years. The entire area of work permits is weighed down by bureaucracy, it is too slow, it is not fulfilling its purpose and it must be revisited. Labour shortage is a huge issue in Tipperary and across the country. The Government must act to remove restrictions on international recruitment and allow the work permit process to be more flexible.

The Deputy raises a very important issue, given that we have virtual full employment in this country, so the economic model the Government has been pursuing is working in respect of employment. We have never had more people working in the economy since surveys began in 1998. We have more than 2.6 million people now working in the economy.

About 40,000 work permits were issued last year but there is a need for a review, particularly of the occupational lists. That is to commence next month, in June. We have to consider the areas and lists themselves because there is not a sector of the economy that is not articulating issues regarding shortages and a genuine difficulty in recruiting staff. We had a debate earlier on disability services, respite services, home care and so forth right across the board. The position on the services sectors the Deputy outlined is similar to that concerning these services. Therefore, we have got to review this and consider it in terms of future policy.