EU: There has never been a ceiling on the number of work permits issued to non-EU workers, either before or since the accession of 10 new states to the EU, The Irish Times has confirmed.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Enterprise and Employment expressed surprise at the statement by British Conservative Party leader Michael Howard that the Irish authorities had imposed a ceiling of 2,500 work permits since the accession of the new EU member states.
"At the time of accession, we said that citizens of the new states had full rights to come and work in Ireland. Work permits are for those outside the EU.
"In 2003 there were 47,551 permits issued, and in 2004 there were 34,067, reflecting the fact that from May citizens from eastern Europe no longer needed work permits."
She said that up to April 8th this year 6,600 work permits had been issued. This means that about 25,000 would be expected for the whole year.
"We always expected that the numbers would fall because employers would be more able to meet their needs from the growth of the EU," she said.
"They are obliged by law to take EU citizens first. I never, ever heard of a ceiling on work permits. There is none."
She added that certain jobs were not available under the work permit system, as there were no labour shortages in those areas.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice published a discussion document on immigration aimed at updating and streamlining immigration into Ireland, including revamping the work permit system, which is widely seen as cumbersome.
According to that document, about 100,000 people have migrated to Ireland from outside the EU in the last five years.