asked the Minister for Labour the total amount from the European Social Fund approved for Ireland in respect of 1975; and if he will give details of the applications and the amounts involved in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - European Social Fund.
19.
The total amount of assistance approved for Ireland to date in respect of 1975 operations is £8.6 million, of which about £6.8 million has been approved in the present year and £1.8 million represents assistance approved by way of forward commitments in 1973 and 1974. The figure of £8.6 million does not take account of amounts in certain 1975 applications which will be dealt with by the EEC Commission before the end of the year.
Details of the approvals to date in respect of 1975 operations are contained in a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
EUROPEAN Social Fund—Amounts of assistance approved in respect of 1975 operations.
|
Name of Applicant |
Amount of Grant Approved for 1975 Operations |
|
£ |
|
|
AnCO |
4,590,346 |
|
I.D.A. |
2,293,948.50 |
|
Department of Education |
591,600 |
|
CERT |
133,455 |
|
Department of Local Government |
11,500 |
|
Gaeltarra Éireann |
240,900 |
|
Shannon Free Airport Development Co. Ltd. |
27,412 |
|
Irish Management Institute |
300,000 |
|
Irish Sugar Co. Ltd., Carlow |
6,540 |
|
Tullamore Yarns Salts (Irl.) Ltd., Tullamore, Co. Offaly |
1,169 |
|
Botany Weaving Mills Ltd., Dublin |
3,430 |
|
Mountmellick Textiles Ltd., Mountmellick, Co. Laois |
668 |
|
J. & L.F. Goodbody Ltd., Clara, Co. Offaly |
5,720 |
|
Glen Abbey Ltd., Tallaght, Co. Dublin |
3,564 |
|
Janelle Ltd., Cork |
10,440 |
|
Navan Carpets Ltd., Navan, Co. Meath |
4,060 |
|
Smurfit Corrugated Cases Ltd., Dublin, for operations in its factory at Togher, Co. Cork |
20,000 |
|
Irish Paper Sacks Ltd., Dublin for operations in its factory at Macroom, Co. Cork |
17,927 |
|
O'Dwyer Steel Co. Ltd., Dundrum, Co. Tipperary |
6,420 |
|
Tunney Meat Packers Ltd., Clones, Co. Monaghan |
13,439 |
|
Arthur Guinness Son & Co. (Dublin) Ltd., Dublin |
14,200 |
|
G.W.I. Ltd., Collooney, Co. Sligo |
12,500 |
|
Weinberger Ltd., Macroom, Co. Cork |
4,727 |
|
Slane Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Slane, Co. Meath |
5,800 |
|
Comer International Ltd., Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny |
5,950 |
|
Blackwater Ltd., Youghal, Co. Cork |
6,375 |
|
I.J.M. Ltd., Monaghan |
21,000 |
|
Confederation of Irish Industry on behalf of 16 firms in the food sector |
144,849.43 |
|
Superior Packaging Ltd., Dublin |
5,153 |
|
Janelle Ltd., Dublin for operations at its factory in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford |
9,839 |
|
Irish Cable & Wire Co. Ltd., Athlone, Co. Westmeath |
6,927.67 |
|
Basta Ltd., Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo |
10,891 |
|
Ross Company Ltd., New Ross, Co. Wexford |
22,692 |
|
Noel C. Duggan Ltd., Millstreet, Co. Cork |
19,600 |
|
British Leyland Ltd., Dublin |
42,200 |
|
TOTAL |
£8,615,242.60 |
20.
asked the Minister for Labour the total amount of moneys provided from the European Social Fund for retraining purposes; the number of workers who were taken on for retraining since the inception of the scheme; and where the retraining was undertaken.
It is estimated that social fund assistance of about £14¾ million has been approved to date for programmes of full-time training of workers, which would include training for new jobs of unemployed persons both with and without previous employment experience as well as retraining for higher skills of persons already in employment. The total number of persons benefiting from those programmes is estimated at 46,000. These estimates do not include amounts of social fund assistance approved for, or numbers of trainees concerned in, (i) short training courses, (ii) apprentice-type training courses or (iii) programmes of vocational rehabilitation of handicapped persons.
The training programmes concerned have been undertaken in various locations, including AnCO training centres, other specialist training centres in Ireland and overseas, within individual Irish firms, with firms abroad, regional technical colleges, hotel training schools and vocational schools.
21.
asked the Minister for Labour the extent to which he intends to use the European Social Fund in order to help young people, particularly school-leavers, to find jobs.
Assistance from the European Social Fund is already being obtained to the maximum extent possible for schemes which are eligible under the fund regulations. A very substantial part of that assistance relates to programmes which benefit young persons, including school leavers.
The Council decision of 17th June, 1975, taken under my chairmanship and embodied in the decision of 22nd July, 1975, provided for special social fund intervention for operations to facilitate the employment and the geographical and professional mobility of young people under 25 years of age. Arising from that decision the possibilities of promotion of additional schemes which will attract fund assistance have been under active consideration by various official agencies.
At present three Irish applications in respect of schemes of this nature are under consideration by the European Commission. The first, submitted by the Industrial Development Authority, concerns a new scheme of training by employers with suitable facilities of apprentices surplus to their own requirements.
The second application, submitted by AnCO with the co-operation of the Department of Education, is concerned with the provision of one year off-the-job training in AnCO training centres or in special centres within the vocational education system and in the public or private sectors for (a) young persons who, although suitable for apprenticeship cannot find employment, and (b) young persons who cannot be given suitable training in their employer's establishments.
The third application, promoted by the Department of Education is concerned with the training of young persons (a) in pre-employment or preparation for work courses; (b) in secretarial courses; (c) for technician level skills; and (d) in one-year foundation courses for young persons wishing to pursue careers as accountants, administrators, and so on.
It is expected that further applications for social fund assistance relating to programmes in respect of young persons will be submitted to the European Commission over the next few months. One such application which will be submitted very shortly will relate to a programme promoted by AnCO, called the Community Youth Training Programme in consultation with a number of local authorities, concerned with the training of unemployed school leavers and young persons for work on community projects. Some applications or parts of applications already lodged with the Commission involving the training of young persons will be dealt with under the Council decision of 22nd July.
May I ask the Minister if this is the first time that applications for moneys for training programmes for young persons has been made by the Government?
I would imagine it is, yes.