Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Jun 1998

Vol. 493 No. 3

Written Answers. - Redundancy Payments.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

87 Mr. Quinn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received representations from former Irish Steel workers seeking final payment from ECSC matching funds; if she will arrange for all outstanding money due to former Irish Steel workers now redundant to be paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15716/98]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

My Department has received numerous representations on this issue over the past two years.

Re-adaptation Aid Funding, under Article 56.2 (b) of the ECSC Treaty, was secured by my Department from the European Commission and paid, in April 1997, to 209 former Irish Steel Ltd. workers who were made redundant as a result of the 1994 restructuring plan. The application for such funding had been made by my Department on the basis that the extra-statutory redundancy payments, made in respect of these workers, constituted the State matching funds. This was accepted by the Commission and corresponded to the situation in 1985-86 when former Irish Steel Limited. workers had also received similar funding, during a previous company restructuring.

There are no payments outstanding to the former workers, either from the European Commission or from the Government.