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EU Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2018

Thursday, 17 May 2018

Questions (39)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

39. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the role his departmental officials have in respect of utilising the European Structural and Investment Funds to meet Europe 2020 objectives under social inclusion. [17676/18]

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Written answers

The Europe 2020 strategy document sets out specific targets under a range of objectives including employment, research and development (R&D), climate change and energy, education, and poverty and social exclusion.

The Irish targets under Europe 2020 with regard to social inclusion are to reduce:

- consistent poverty to 4% by 2016 (interim target) and to 2% or less by 2020, from a baseline rate of 6.3% in 2010;

- by a minimum of 200,000 the population in "combined poverty" (i.e. consistent poverty or at risk of poverty or basic deprivation) between 2010 and 2020.

The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) support the delivery of these goals across Europe and in Ireland through:

- The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

- The European Social Fund (ESF)

- The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

In addition, although not part of the Structural Funds, there is support available from the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) fund.

While as Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform I have overall policy responsibility for the European Structural and Investment Funds, my Department also has administrative responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). As regards the European Social Fund (ESF), administrative responsibility rests with the Minister for Education and Skills. The Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine has administrative responsibility for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), and the Minister for Social Protection has administrative responsibility for the European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD).

In relation to ERDF, Ireland has been allocated €409m support for the programming period 2014-2020. It should be noted that this amount is matched with 50% Exchequer funding, therefore the total allocation for ERDF programmes is €818m. ERDF contributes to combatting social exclusion by creating employment through investing in business start-ups, and enhancing SME competitiveness.

FEAD aims to help people take their first steps out of poverty and social exclusion by addressing their most basic needs i.e. food and or basic materials for personal use. The FEAD budget for 2018 is €8m. €4.5m of this will be allocated to ongoing food distribution through the central procurement in FoodCloud Hubs. The remaining €3.5m is allocated to the distribution of material assistance in the areas of homelessness, school kits and new migrants.

Under Ireland’s EMFF OP, a community led local development initiative is being implemented through seven Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) covering all coastal areas of Ireland. The FLAGs are provided with a €12 million budget, co-financed by 50% exchequer funding, in the period 2014 - 2020, to disperse within their respective FLAG territories through grant aid to projects that contribute to the achievement of the FLAG’s Local Development Strategy. The FLAGs focus on promoting innovative approaches to create growth and jobs in their territories, and enhance the socio-economic prospects of their area, in particular by adding value to fishery and aquaculture products and diversifying the local economy of their territories towards new economic activities.

While the FLAG scheme is the most directly relevant to social inclusion, other EMFF schemes also contribute to this objective. For example, the EMFF Inshore Fisheries Scheme supported the establishment and ongoing development of representative forums for the inshore fisheries sector (i.e. the National Inshore Fisheries Forum and 7 Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums) to give voice and representation to small scale coastal fishermen from many remote areas of Ireland.

As regards the ESF, while it is required that at least 20% of the ESF resources in each Member State be allocated to the social inclusion objective, the Irish ESF Programme has gone beyond this and has in fact allocated 34%, or €388m, of the total Programme allocation of €1.157bn, to this objective. This is co-financed by 50% exchequer funding in the period 2014 - 2020.

Social inclusion activities supported include:

- the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, which tackles poverty and social exclusion;

- Youthreach which provides education, training and work experience for early school leavers;

- Garda Youth Diversion Projects, which support young people at risk of/or involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour;

- Young Persons Probation Projects, which engage with young offenders in local communities;

- the Tús Nua Project, to promote independent living and positive reintegration into the community for women leaving prison and women offenders referred from the community;

- the Ability Programme to promote employment prospects and meaningful social roles for young people with disabilities;

- projects to support the integration and employment of migrants; and

- gender equality projects aimed at women who are currently detached from the workforce and business women who wish to realise their full business potential.

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