Immigrant Council of Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Immigrant Council of Ireland

Date published 17 May, 2018

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Justice and Equality

Period 1 Jan, 2018 to 30 Apr, 2018

Specific Details Asylum seekers right to work + EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive

Intended results Ensure the Government's planned adoption of the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Direction delivers practical right to work for asylum seekers

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Brian Killoran, CEO

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Senators Email to all Senators ahead of Seanad debate on Motion relating to Ireland opting into EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive. We encouraged Senators to voice our concerns: • Asylum seekers must apply for an employment permit through the Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation before they can access employment • Work permit applications may have to be paid by the asylum seeker, at a cost of €500-€1,000 (asylum seekers live on €21 per week) • Only jobs with a minimum salary of €30,000 are eligible • The restrictions on the type of jobs allowed rule out more than 60 areas of work (such as retail and the hospitality sector) • Asylum seekers cannot access self-employment unless they have been in the protection system for nine months and haven’t yet received a decision

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (2-5)

Two separate letters to Minister Shane Ross and Minister Charles Flanagan requesting further information and explanation regarding the barriers to asylum seekers' obtaining a driving licence. This hinders their ability to access employment.

Meeting (2-5)

Separate meetings with Senator Paul Gavan and MEP Martina Anderson which included discussions on asylum seekers right to work, the new provisions introduced on 9 February and the problems with them. The key concerns: • Asylum seekers must apply for an employment permit through the Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation before they can access employment • Work permit applications may have to be paid by the asylum seeker, at a cost of €500-€1,000 (asylum seekers live on €21 per week) • Only jobs with a minimum salary of €30,000 are eligible • The restrictions on the type of jobs allowed rule out more than 60 areas of work (such as retail and the hospitality sector) • Asylum seekers cannot access self-employment unless they have been in the protection system for nine months and haven’t yet received a decision

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Paul Gavan Senator (Seanad)

Charles Flanagan Minister (Department of Justice and Equality)

Shane Ross Minister (Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport)