Vol. 477 No. 5
276 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the proposals, if any, he has to deal with the payment of compensation funds to a group (details supplied) in County Cork; and his views on whether this group is entitled to such payment. [9700/97]
I take it that the Deputy is referring to readaptation aid payable, under Article 56 (2) (b) of the ECSC Treaty, to 209 former Irish Steel workers made redundant in 1994, 1995 and early 1996 under the 1994 Irish Steel restructuring plan.
As the Deputy is aware, the European Commission approved, in December 1995 and November 1996, the provision of readaptation aid of 627,000 ECU to 209 former Irish Steel workers. This funding has recently been received by my Department from the European Commission and arrangements are currently being made to issue payments to the former workers as soon as possible. Each former worker will receive 3,000 ECU which, using the appropriate exchange rate, amounts to IR£2,175.80.
As I have previously indicated to the House, the provision of additional matching funding from the State does not arise in relation to this EU readaptation aid. The extra-statutory redundancy payments received by the former workers constitute the matching funding and this has been accepted by the EU Commission. On the previous occasion that readaptation aid was paid to former Irish Steel workers by the EU Commission in 1985, the extra-statutory redundancy payments received by the workers made redundant also constituted the matching funding.
