Madam, - Pat Rabbitte's call for a reassessment of immigration policy is welcome. His concern is primarily with job displacement but there are many sides to this issue.
In the Seanad some months ago Mary O'Rourke suggested the establishment of a department of immigration because of the bureaucracy and inadequacy of the present system, shared between Foreign Affairs and Justice. On New Year's Day Archbishop Neill called for a right to remain in the State for immigrants without status who have been living here for more than five years. It is clear that the series of makeshift measures put in place in recent years ago do not add up to a proper and fair immigration policy.
Our handling of immigration does not throw a flattering light on Ireland. The asylum-seeker "problem" was dealt with by depriving Irish children with foreign-national parents of their constitutional rights. Migrant workers were allowed the privilege of working here only when indentured to an employer, with no one to safeguard their rights. Then in 2004, to ease the burden of the Department of Enterprise, people from the new EU member-states were allowed in without work permits. Far from being to the new employees' advantage, this created an employers' market in which the greedy and unscrupulous could exploit the vulnerable.
People from outside the EU who wish to visit relatives living in Ireland have to jump through multiple hoops just to get a holiday visa (unless they are from a prosperous country). The only people from outside the golden circle who now have a reasonable chance of obtaining a work permit and a visa (one does not always follow the other) are those with a particular skill or profession.
Cherry-picking your immigrants is an unattractive trait, especially when you deport long-term residents as rejects. Yes, a reassessment of immigration policy is very much needed. - Yours, etc,
PAUL GORRY, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - While I don't disagree with all of Pat Rabbitte's comments in his Irish Times interview, his sweeping statement that there is a "displacement effect" in several industries including hospitality led me to wonder if there is there a legion of Irish people seeking jobs in the hotel and catering sector. If so, could he send me their details?
Having worked in the industry for some years now I can assure him that it is difficult to get any staff, Irish or otherwise. Recently I advertised several positions in both city and rural locations. These jobs were at middle management level with competitive salaries. Some of the advertisement produced no CVs - and the Irish people who did apply, without exception, wanted to be paid under the table. This was not acceptable to me.
Given the reluctance of many Irish people to work in hospitality I can safely say that the industry would not survive if it were not for the "displacement" workers.
I respectfully suggest to Mr Rabbitte that in future he back up his comments with a little more than "anecdotal evidence". - Yours, etc,
IAN KIELY, Sallynoggin, Co Dublin.