Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to present these final technical amendments to the Bill for the Dáil's consideration. I thank my predecessors, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and Deputy English for their work on this important legislation. I also thank Deputies and Senators for their engagement. I acknowledge the presence in the Public Gallery of Migrants Rights Council Ireland, which has worked towards this legislation for a long time and welcomes it and the impact it will have on people.

The Bill's purpose is to consolidate and update employment permit law. It contains a number of key improvements, including the change of employer option, the introduction of a new seasonal employment permit and the facilitation of a more agile employment permits system through the movement of operational details from primary to secondary legislation for easier modification as labour market needs require.

During the Bill's passage through the Seanad, additional minor technical amendments were tabled to refine it further. These do not make any substantive change to the purpose of the Bill. The bulk of these technical amendments relate to non-EEA nationals working as non-consultant hospital doctors. Amendments have also been made to section 8, which sets out the cohorts for whom an employment permit is not required. These are technical amendments, covering some minor issues that will ensure that the Bill remains in line with current requirements.

Ireland is currently an outlier internationally by not already providing for seasonal employment permits. A key protection in this legislation is the requirement for employers to become registered as approved seasonal employers in order to access the seasonal employment permit. Employers will need to obtain annual pre-approval to become approved employers. Any breaches of conditions of permits or non-compliance with rules will negatively impact on any subsequent approval processes.

Additional controls have also been added to the Bill to further protect seasonal workers. This pilot scheme will run in 2025 and will be limited to specific employers in the horticultural sector, particularly the soft fruit sector. I am happy to go through each of the amendments if required.

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