30,000 apply for right to work in Ireland

Updated: 15:12, Sunday, 31 October 2004

Almost 30,000 people from the 10 new EU member-states have applied for the right to work here between the beginning of May and the end of August.

New figures show almost 30,000 people from the 10 new EU member-states have applied for the right to work here between the beginning of May and the end of August.

Almost half the immigrants are Polish.

All immigrants sought social-security registration here which entitles them to legally work.

Alan Dukes, the former leader of Fine Gael who now heads the European Institute, said the figures were important but not dramatic for Ireland's demography.

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