I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 and 192 together.
Since the announcement of the DELL and related redundancies in Raheen in January 2009, FÁS has already provided guidance service and training courses to over 1,500 workers made redundant. Enterprise Ireland and the local Vocational Education Committees also continue to promote and offer their business advice, grant aid and educational services. A number of affected workers have already enrolled on training courses and in further and third level education at institutions in the Mid-West region to date.
The application for co-funded assistance from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) towards the costs of a personalized package of occupational guidance, training, employment, entrepreneurship and educational measures for workers made redundant at the DELL plant in Raheen, Co. Limerick, and in ancillary enterprises, was made by my Department in mid-June 2009. It was subsequently approved by the European Union budgetary authorities in late December 2009. The transfer of EU funds is anticipated later this month. Provision has been made in my Department's Vote for the national financing element required. The timeframe permitted for eligible expenditure under the Fund is 24 months from the date of submission of an application, or from the date of commencement of relevant measures provided this is no later than 3 months after the application's submission. As such in the case of the DELL related application the latest date for expenditure is September 2011.
My Department will be the managing authority for EGF funding in the State while the Department of Education and Science, FÁS and Enterprise Ireland will be designated intermediate bodies for funds transfer, reporting and monitoring purposes. Approved funding will be made available to public beneficiaries delivering services on the ground to the eligible redundant workers. All intermediate bodies shall certify expenditure in their particular area of responsibility and report to my Department. All relevant EU and national accounting and auditing procedures and requirements must be adhered to by the relevant intermediate bodies and public beneficiaries.
It is imperative that the wide range of measures being provided to eligible redundant workers is co-ordinated in the most effective and efficient manner locally and regionally. To that end, I have charged FÁS to establish a dedicated EGF Co-ordination Unit in Limerick to ensure that all relevant supports across all service providers are coordinated on the ground in a timely, effective and efficient manner. The Unit shall act as the primary coordination agency for the Department in the implementation of the EGF programme for DELL worker related supports.
The EGF Co-Ordination Unit is now contacting all potential beneficiaries of the Fund from DELL and the other ancillary enterprises to outline the supports on offer. They are also inviting the workers to a 2 days information fair in Limerick early next month at which all service providers will be in attendance to explain their programmes and supports, to answer queries and to provide for course registrations. In parallel, a steering group is being established to include worker representative bodies in order to ensure that the views of the redundant workers and other key stakeholders are made known and fed into the implementation process.
The Minister for Labour Affairs will be meeting the DELL Redundant Workers Association as part of this process in the coming days. A review of the operation of the Fund shall be undertaken by the Department in June 2010.