asked the Minister for Labour if he will give details of the bodies which have applied to the European Social Fund for grants to aid the handicapped; and the amount approved in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - European Social Fund.
17.
The answer is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
European Social Fund—Vocational Rehabilitation Applications.
|
Applications in respect of operations in Year |
||||||
|
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
|||
|
Name of Body |
Amount Sought |
Amount Approved by European Commission |
Amount Sought |
Amount Approved by European Commission |
Amount Sought |
Amount Sought |
|
(1) |
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
|||
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
The Rehabilitation Institute, 30 Lesson Park, Dublin 6 |
80,721 |
80,721 |
130,821 |
130,821 |
239,492 |
477,947 |
|
Association of Parents and Friends of Mentally Handicapped Children, St. Michael's House, Willowfield Park, Dublin 14 |
6,000 |
6,000 |
18,700 |
8,440 |
37,508 |
53,070 |
|
The National Rehabilitation Board, 24/25 Clyde Road, Dublin 4 |
21,323 |
21,323 |
99,926 |
99,926 |
202,334 |
284,599 |
|
The Central Remedial Clinic, Vernon Avenue, Dublin 3 |
2,256 |
2,256 |
17,424 |
14,406 |
21,824 |
22,284 |
|
The Eastern Health Board, 1 James's Street, Dublin 8 |
50,142 |
50,142 |
119,073 |
55,827 |
197,663 |
337,025 |
|
The Cork Polio & General After Care Association, Bonnington, Montenotte, Cork |
3,957 |
3,957 |
70,031 |
10,588 |
14,117 |
69,143 |
|
Retos Ltd., Industrial Estate Shannon, Co. Clare |
19,000 |
19,000 |
27,179 |
27,179 |
43,600 |
47,900 |
|
The Cherry Group Sheltered Workshop, Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 |
1,048 |
1,048 |
4,430 |
4,430 |
7,710 |
19,140 |
|
The Western Health Board, Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway |
— |
— |
51,500 |
42,115 |
129,750 |
193,424 |
|
The Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, St. Raphael's, Celbridge, Co. Kildare(4) |
— |
— |
7,238 |
— |
— |
— |
|
The South-Eastern Health Board, Árus Sláinte, 11 Patrick Street, Kilkenny |
— |
— |
45,711 |
9,108 |
64,592 |
132,853 |
|
The Mid-Western Health Board, Pery Street, Limerick |
— |
— |
— |
— |
56,093 |
82,278 |
|
Polio Fellowship of Ireland, 7 Lower Hatch Street |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6,500 |
|
The Southern Health Board, County Hall, Cork |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
169,324 |
|
The North-Eastern Health Board, Kells, Co. Meath |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
84,768 |
|
The Midland Health Board, Arden Road, Tullamore, Co. Offaly |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
117,435 |
|
Kilcornan Training Centre, Clarenbridge, Co. Galway |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
286,100 |
|
St. Vincent's Centre Navan Road, Dublin 7 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
154,800 |
|
R.S.W. Ltd., Cregg House Sligo |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
17,800 |
|
North Western Health Board, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
288,300 |
|
Totals |
184,447 |
184,447 |
584,795 |
402,840 |
1,014,683 |
2,844,690 |
(1) These figures represent amounts approved in principle. The amounts are not necessarily paid in full. Payments are made to the extent that individual applicants are able to satisfy the European Commission regarding amounts of eligible expenditure incurred on approved operations.
(2) The decisions of the European Commission in respect of 1975 applications have not yet been received. It is expected that total assistance of about £660,000 will be approved.
(3) The amounts for 1976 applications are provisional in some cases. These applications will not be considered until next year.
(4) This application was subsequently withdrawn.
18.
asked the Minister for Labour the measures that are being taken to publicise the fact that grants are being made available from the European Social Fund to private firms towards training costs; the number of firms that has availed themselves of these grants to date; and the total amount involved.
The availability of assistance from the European Social Fund for training programmes carried out by private firms has been publicised in a variety of ways. There has been Press publicity by my Department, by the Industrial Development Authority and by AnCO. The matter has also been publicised in various publications which are distributed widely to industry for example, the AnCO News and the IDA News and the IDA annual report. The employers' organisations too have given widespread publicity in their journals and otherwise to their members. A most effective method for making the availability of social fund assistance known to private firms is through AnCO training advisory service. The AnCO training advisers in the course of their regular visits to private firms throughout the country for discussions about training matters advise firms of the possibilities of social fund assistance.
To date, social fund grants have been approved for training programmes of 42 private firms involving a total amount of fund assistance of almost £1.1 million. Applications for a further 20 private firms for an amount of over £400,000 are under consideration by the European Commission. These figures relate only to social fund assistance for existing firms carrying out training in conjunction with re-equipment programmes. Applications for fund assistance for training programmes of new firms are submitted by the Industrial Development Authority, Gaeltarra Éireann and the Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited.
In view of what the Minister said about adequate publicity would he think that 44 firms availing of grants is normal?
In view of the amount of money which is likely to be available perhaps it is very reasonable.
May I ask did the Minister answer my previous question about the handicapped?
Yes. It was a tabular statement, a very lengthy one.
I have asked this question on a number of occasions: could the Minister give us any indication of the number of private firms that have been refused aid from the social fund or that have failed to satisfy the conditions of the social fund?
I am sorry; that information would not be in my file.
There have been refusals. Would the Minister not deem it advisable now to advise the Minister for Labour to approach the Department of Industry and Commerce with a view to changing the restrictive regulations in our own country restricting some of our private firms from availing of grants from EEC where there are moneys available to them but which moneys are not being made available because of the existence of these conditions of our own Department of Industry and Commerce? Would he not now seek a change in those regulations to enable more training money to be obtained by private firms here? There have been refusals on those grounds.
I will put the Deputy's views to the Minister. I think he will admit that a very sizeable sum of £1.1 million has been approved. I do not know how many have been refused but there are pretty strict regulations under which applicants must qualify before they get grants. I will, as the Deputy suggested, ask the Minister to have a look.
Is the Minister aware that, in fact, the restricting regulations are not EEC regulations, that they are regulations within our own country?
The Deputy is raising a matter appertaining to another Department.
Could I ask the Minister to ask his colleague the total number of grants that have been given towards private firms and if we could have some details of what has been achieved as a result of those grants?
I will do that. Deputy Fitzgerald is not correct when he says they are internal regulations. There are three factors which limit the extent of training courses for private firms which qualify for social fund grants. It is the requirement of the social fund regulations that these conditions are carried out.
I would just ask the Minister to check for me and let me know. I do not think the Minister is correct.
I am just using the file. I do not know myself.
Under the Industrial Development Authority there are restrictions. I can give the Minister specific instances of at least two firms.
I would not know but the information I have given is the information I have on the file and I assume that it must be correct.