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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Nov 1999

Vol. 511 No. 3

Written Answers. - NOW Programme.

Deirdre Clune

Ceist:

107 Ms Clune asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the fact that funding for the NOW programme is to be discontinued; the plans, if any, she has to fund the project from the Exchequer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24288/99]

The NOW programme, New Opportunities for Women, is a strand of the EMPLOYMENT Community Initiative which is funded by the European Social Fund The total investment in 71 NOW projects since 1995 will amount to 20,291,395 ECUs, £15 million approximately, in European Social Funds and 2,102,178 ECUs, £1.6 million approximately, in European Regional Development Funds. Under the terms of the EU initiative, funds will cease to be committed at the end of 1999 and final payment will take place during 2000.

The overall objective of EMPLOYMENT is to target groups that face specific difficulties in the employment market and, accordingly, to explore innovative and new ways of combating exclusion in the labour market with a view to identifying and extracting lessons from specific projects and incorporating them into national policies.

Many of the issues arising are targeted for support under the National Development Plan, 2000 to 2006. Groups and projects which were funded under the NOW programme could seek funding under a number of measures in the plan.

The new proposed human resources EU initiative, EQUAL, which will run from 2000 to 2006, will continue to promote new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in the labour market by way of specific projects involving local consortia and transnational partners. The total amount of European Social Funds available will be 32 million euro, over £25 million.

The EQUAL operational programme for Ireland will be drafted in spring 2000 by my Department in consultation with the appropriate groups and organisations and submitted to the European Commission for negotiation. It is expected that the Commission decision finalising the details of the EQUAL programme for Ireland will subsequently issue in autumn 2000 and that a public call for project proposals will take place in Autumn 2000.

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