Ireland had been transformed from a country of large-scale emigration to significant immigration, the Minister for Labour Affairs, Mr Tony Killeen said yesterday. He said legislation tended to lag behind such huge changes.

"The new Employments Permits Bill, which is currently in the final stages of preparation and is due to be published shortly, will allow for a much more proactive role in the area of economic migration," he said.

He was addressing a FÁS conference on " Impending Employment Legislation."

Mr Killeen said the bill would allow for a system of entry for specified skilled migrant workers and would include additional protections for all migrant workers.

"For instance, it is intended that employers will be prohibited from making deductions from the remuneration of migrant workers of any costs associated with their recruitment. There will also be a prohibition on the retention by employers of personal documents belonging to migrant workers," he said.