As has been announced previously, my Department intends to commission an independent review of the Succeed-in-Ireland programme. That review will equip us with a thorough understanding of the programme’s results and its contribution to employment generation in the State. We will then be able to make a determination on its long-term future.
However, as I have made clear before, there needs to be clarity on the full and final costs of the programme before a review can be initiated. Those costs cannot be ascertained until Connect Ireland’s dispute with the IDA regarding the previous operation of the programme is resolved or otherwise concluded.
I welcome efforts that have been made to address that dispute and I understand that the two parties are currently engaged in a dispute resolution process. That process, once completed, should provide the necessary clarity on the costs of the programme to date, which will in turn allow the review to proceed.