Restrictions on healthcare workers from outside EEA to be relaxed

Current rules limit non-EEA permit holders to 50% of an organisation’s workforce

Peter Burke is bringing a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday aimed at addressing staff shortages in the healthcare sector. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Rules requiring healthcare organisations to ensure at least half their workforce comes from Ireland or the European Economic Area (EEA) are to be relaxed in certain cases as the Government seeks to tackle critical staff shortages.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke is bringing a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday aimed at addressing staff shortages in the healthcare sector by allowing greater flexibility around employment permit rules, which currently limit non-EEA permit holders to 50% of an organisation’s workforce.

The move comes as healthcare providers struggle to recruit staff for a range of roles, putting frontline services under pressure while more domestic workers are being trained.

Also at Cabinet on Tuesday, energy minister Darragh O’Brien will bring a set of enhanced grants to help households and businesses reduce energy costs and move away from fossil fuels.

A new €2,000 boiler scrappage scheme, a €600 battery grant, and enhanced supports for households at risk of energy poverty are among new measures due to be approved by Government.

The plans also include adding solar PV panels and battery storage to the warmer homes scheme, increasing grant supports for solar, attic, and cavity wall insulations, and enhanced supports for businesses.

Housing minister James Browne will seek approval to implement new EU rules allowing female MEPs to delegate their voting rights during pregnancy and after childbirth. Under the proposals, MEPs would be able to nominate another member to vote on their behalf for up to three months before their due date and six months after giving birth.

Mr Browne is also expected to bring forward proposed changes to the repair and lease scheme. The social housing delivery scheme provides an interest-free loan of up to €80,000 per unit to owners. Under proposed changes, local authorities will be told to prioritise the delivery of studio and one-bed units, while limits on owners will be lifted.

Meanwhile, social protection minister Dara Calleary will tell Cabinet that more than 835,000 employees across 115,000 companies have been added to the new auto-enrolment pension system as of the end of August. Over €550m of contributions has been collected for investment.

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers will tell Cabinet that infrastructure reforms have cut 12 months from the timeline for the Greater Dublin Drainage project.

Children's minister Norma Foley will bring forward measures to make it mandatory for employers with more than 50 employees to submit gender pay gap data through the Gender Pay Gap Portal. Ms Foley will also bring legislation to allow first cousins be included as eligible family members for the purposes of an identification programme at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam, Co Galway.

• Paul Hosford is Deputy Political Editor.