Recruitment of Bus Drivers to ensure better public transport services
I draw the Minister’s attention to an issue we are encountering around recruitment of qualified bus and haulage drivers. It is a real constriction point within the economy. We have access to an excellent pool of qualified bus and haulage drivers from abroad but some of the quirks in the system mean that the people who are coming in are sitting around for three months without being able to get into work. There is a delay in drivers getting appointments for their Irish residency permits and then a delay in processing the card once the appointment is complete. This delay sits in the Department of Justice where the Minister served herself for a while. Then, on the other side of the coin, there is the National Driver Licence Service, under the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, which cannot process the licence until it has the physical Irish residence permit in its hands. It just means qualified drivers who are sitting here ready and available for work, and who are much needed, are being left to sit around for in excess of three months. It is something that could easily be resolved and I ask the Minister to have a look at it.
Deputy Heather Humphreys
I thank the Deputy. This is an issue on which I know the Deputy has been very proactive. I agree with him there is no reason we would not just get this sorted. The whole area of work permits for bus drivers from non-EU and non-EEA countries has been the subject of engagement between the Departments of Transport and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In December 2022, as Members will know, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, announced changes to the permits system to help ease the recruitment challenges being faced in the transport sector with the establishment of a quota of 1,500 employment permits for bus and coach drivers. However, we all know there are still challenges out there. We need more bus drivers. I will ask that the Deputy be given a comprehensive reply from the relevant Departments on the important matters he raises here. At the end of the day, we want to get this sorted. As what the Deputy is suggesting makes sense, let us get on with it.
