asked the Minister for Labour if the implications of conclusions arrived at by the recent European Council in Brussels in relation to the structural funds have been considered by his Department and the agencies under their auspices.
9.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EC Funds.
3.
asked the Minister for Labour if, as a result of the meeting of the European Heads of Government on 11 and 12 February 1988 Ireland can expect to receive a substantial increase in funding from the European Social Fund under the terms agreed there.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 9 together.
My Department are particularly concerned with the implications of the decisions of the European Council as they affect the European Social Fund. The Department of Labour have been keeping in close touch with developments arising from the Council's decision, in close consultation with other Departments and agencies involved, including agencies under their own aegis.
So far as the Community structural funds are concerned, the European Council decided that the contributions of those funds to the less developed Community regions should be doubled by 1992 and that a range of increased rates of fund assistance should be introduced for operations in those regions. These decisions, together with others taken by the European Council, are now being incorporated into legislative form. This process will take some time to complete as a radical restructuring of all the structural funds is involved and a whole range of technical issues will have to be resolved. My Department are actively participating in the negotiations which are in progress. Our objective will be to ensure that the terms of the implementing regulations are so formulated as to enable us to derive maximum benefit from the additional resources that will become available.
At the same time, my Department and their agencies are preparing to make any necessary adjustments in their own policies and operations in line with the new requirements in relation to the European Social Fund.
I am confident that, when the reformed structural funds come into operation, Ireland will be in a position to secure substantially increased benefits not only from the European Social Fund but also from the other structural funds.
May I ask the Minister if it is now expected that Ireland will see its share of the Social Fund double in the coming years? Is there any indication that there might be any change in priorities as between those under 25 and over 25 years, as between training and employment, in terms of the priority given to the long-term unemployed and so on; and if there are indications to that effect, to what extent do those indications accord with our national priorities?
There are a number of isues involved. The decision was made that the funds should be doubled and the format has yet to be worked out. The important conclusions of the Council meeting in the area of the structural funds are: first, that the contribution to the funds to less-developed regions, including Ireland — the objective 1 regions — would be doubled by 1992. That was a very clear commitment. Secondly, by 1992 two-thirds of all the structural funds would be concentrated on those regions and, thirdly, the new increased rates of assistance ranging from 50 per cent minimum, which was the old figure, to 75 per cent maximum would be introduced for the objective I regions. If that is followed through it would work out to the benefit of this country. There are a number of points that have to be further negotiated. First, the framework regulations which will determine the basic objectives and task of the funds will have to be worked out and, secondly, the implementing regulations which will set out how the funds will operate have yet to be decided. A meeting will be held this coming week at which they will be decided.
Can the Minister indicate if the framework legislation will substantially change the way Ireland has obtained funding through the European Social Fund? Will our take from the European Social Fund be doubled or have we been able to maximise our portion of it to date to the extent that we will not be in a position to double it by 1992?
The framework regulations have not been worked out yet. It has yet to be negotiated as to whether there will be a doubling of the overall structural funds as a whole or whether there will be a doubling of each fund as it stood before the Delors package. Naturally, in any discussions that take place I will be putting the case for the needs of this country under the European Social Fund, particularly in the area of the long-term unemployed and the vocational training preparation courses. I hope we have not maximised our resources but that has yet to be worked out.
Even though the framework legislation has not yet been worked out, does the Minister foresee that it will substantially differ from the framework we know at present? Will it allow for groupings other than, for example, the Department of Labour to make representations directly to the Commission and to obtain funding?
The Department of Labour are the co-ordinating body but there is a number of agencies involved, particularly in the areas of the handicapped. I do not believe that fundamental changes will take place. As I stated during a previous Question Time, schemes such as the social employment scheme are considered for a far smaller percentage take than are training schemes. I have already put down my arguments at the December Council meeting as to why they should receive a far higher take under the new scheme. At present they receive only £14.50 per week whereas a training scheme would probably receive double that figure. Perhaps the principles or the fundamental matters will not be changed but the rates should certainly be very different.
On what assumptions are FÁS and CERT working at present? Presumably, as they make their plans for future years they have to make certain assumptions about the volume of ESF support and the projects for which it will be available. What is their working hypothesis?
They are still working on the present arrangements. Presumably in the coming months we will know precisely the budget targets. The budget estimate procedure will start again around 1 May and we hope the position will be clear by then. We are talking about 1989 at this stage, not 1988.
May I ask the Minister, in the light of increased social funding and also on examination of the structure and framework of such funding, if consideration will be given to the special situation of women both at European and national level in so far as there is a higher number of unemployed women with a higher need for vocational training? Will that be taken into consideration at European level and translated through FÁS?
There are not many women around that table but I assure the Deputy I will fight the case.