Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 November 2015
512. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a ceiling on the amount of the €2.49 million Lufthansa Technik European Commission funding that can be spent on supports for the 200 people not in education, employment or training. [41676/15]
View answer514. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will formally request from the European globalisation adjustment fund, EGF, managing authority responsible for the Lufthansa Technik EGF programme the total amount of European Union funds spent as of 1 November 2015; and if she will provide this figure. [41678/15]
View answer515. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether the €2.49 million European Commission contribution to the Lufthansa Technik European globalisation adjustment fund programme will be spent by the September 2016 deadline; and the measures she has put in place over and above those already in place for previous programmes to ensure the 40% return rate of European funding across previous EGF programmes is not replicated with the Lufthansa Technik programme and that all of the money allocated is spent. [41679/15]
View answer516. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the 200 people not in education, employment or training, NEET, in the Lufthansa Technik European globalisation adjustment fund, EGF, programme are named persons in the application, or a target to be reached from the overall NEET population in the area of the Lufthansa programme; and if the latter is the case, the criteria by which young persons may be deemed eligible for access to EGF support. [41680/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 512 and 514 to 516, inclusive, together.
The application for co-funded support under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in the case of redundancies at Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI) targets up to 250 workers and up to 200 young persons under the age of 25 not in employment, education or training (NEET persons).
The EGF programme will run until 19 September 2016 and has an overall estimated programme value of €4.15m, of which the 60% EU contribution amounts to €2.49m. The EGF application includes a financial plan indicating estimated expenditure by individual programme measure for a cumulative target population of 450 persons. Budgets are estimated by specific measure rather than by particular beneficiary cohort. As previously advised, all public beneficiary bodies are funding the cost of this EGF programme's measures from national budgets and will subsequently submit expenditure declarations at programme end. The EGF Managing Authority in my Department has not approved any interim claims in respect of this programme.
However, I understand that the take-up of the available support measures is less than anticipated with the recently published 2nd Implementation Report indicating take-up rates of 77% and 38% of the targeted former workers and NEETs respectively. The improved economic climate resulting in a re-employment rate of some 60% at end August may be a factor which mitigates against a higher programme participation rate. Lower than estimated take-up rates will result in lower final total expenditure.
The 200 targeted NEET persons were not required to be named in the EGF application. Two separate listings of verified NEET persons meeting the criteria under Regulation (EU) 1309/2013 of being under the age of 25 years on the date of submission of the EGF application and not being in employment, education or training, have been supplied to date by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to my Department. Persons aged under 25 from the Dublin South and Kildare regions, being areas in reasonable proximity to the former LTAI plant, who were in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and not working part-time or on any activation scheme were included in these listings. These persons were duly contacted by the SOLAS EGF Co-ordination units with regard to participation in the EGF programme.
The local EGF Coordination Unit office established by SOLAS and located in Tallaght is coordinating EGF programme supports. All potential beneficiaries have been contacted by the Unit on a number of occasions and my Department is continuing to liaise with the EGF Coordination Unit and other partners to maximise engagement with the programme. Final uptake of an EGF support measure is dependent ultimately on the individual choice of each eligible beneficiary and may be influenced by a range of factors including reintegration into part-time or full-time employment, or a focus on job searching.
