Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

Under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014, I request access to the following records. This request arises in the public interest due to credible indications of maladministration and potential malfeasance in the issuance of employment permits, particularly the granting of visas to non-EEA nurses during periods when Irish-trained nurses were subject to a recruitment moratorium. 1. Employment Permits – Non-EEA Nurses (2019–Present) • Records showing the number of employment permits granted to nurses from India, the Philippines, and other non-EEA states, broken down by year. • All internal memoranda, ministerial briefings, policy papers, or correspondence justifying the approval of such visas while the HSE maintained a moratorium on hiring Irish nurses. • Any internal or external studies commissioned or considered by DETE assessing: • The displacement impact on Irish nursing graduates, • The fiscal or workforce justification for granting non-EEA nurse permits during the moratorium.