The Government is to put in place safeguards against any threat to the labour market from migrant workers after EU expansion, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, has said.
She said controls could be reintroduced during the transitional period if the move to allow new EU citizens full freedom to work in Ireland after enlargement of the union from 15 to 25 states next year caused a dramatic change in the labour market.
The Tánaiste's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment issues work permits to migrant workers from non-EU countries, which EU citizens do not require.
The Department yesterday published legislation to allow citizens of the new EU member-states to live and work in Ireland from the first day of accession in May 2004 without the need for employment permits.
Ms Harney estimated that the labour market would continue to require immigrant workers to supplement the domestic labour pool.
However, she highlighted a safeguard in the Employment Permits Bill permitting the reintroduction of the requirement for permits for workers from new EU countries if the labour market was to suffer a disturbance after enlargement.
"On the one hand, while we are taking a very liberal approach to EU accession, we are also providing for the first time in legislation the opportunity to issue work permits in the event that there is a dramatic change in the Irish labour market," the Tanaiste said.
While she did not anticipate the need for these safeguards, it would be very foolish not to have the provision included in the law "because to a large extent we are going into the unknown", she said on RTÉ radio.
Some 35 per cent of current work permits are held by citizens of EU accession countries, so demand is expected to drop by this amount from next May.
The Government's position is in line with other EU member-states, including Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Luxembourg and Greece.
Fines of up to €250,000 and 10 years in prison or both for employers found guilty of hiring illegal workers are also included in yesterday's Bill.