Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Feb 2012

Vol. 213 No. 8

Adjournment Matters

Undocumented Irish

Senator Mark Daly

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I know that on 4 October 2011 he answered questions on this issue raised by Deputy Naughten. Things have since moved on. The Tánaiste had several meetings on the issue of the new visa programme and the E-3, the most critical of which was with Senator Brown of the US Senate. The Australians have an E-3 visa programme and we are looking for an Irish E-3 programme, but what will be the educational requirements? The Schumer Bill is being brought in to the US Senate along with a high tech visa Bill. If that happens, I fear that tradesmen who are currently unemployed in Ireland will not be able to apply for visas to go to the US.

What sense is the Tánaiste getting from US Republican Party leaders such as Mr. Mitch McConnell about their view on this? Will they insist on a higher threshold than the Schumer Bill, which also had a waiver provision? I know the Republican Party will not support any legislation with a waiver provision for currently undocumented people. In his discussions with the State Department and the embassy, does the Tánaiste feel there is a possibility that down the line, we could receive an administrative waiver similar to that which the Mexicans have achieved for their nationals? I understand that last year, 48,000 administrative waivers were given to Mexicans for their visa programme with the US.

Politics is local. It is interesting to note that Senator Brown is fighting for a seat in Massachusetts, luckily enough for us I suppose, and it is a very tight race. He might be able to convince the Republican Party leadership that if he was seen to deliver for the Irish, it would serve him well in the election. Perhaps I am being too political at this stage. I am sure the best of intentions will be on all sides. However, I am concerned that we will have another visa Bill with a very high education threshold and which will not be of any benefit to the current number of unemployed tradespeople in Ireland. While I accept that we are unlikely to get any waiver in this legislation if the Schumer Bill is merged into the Brown Bill, will we pursue administrative waivers with the Obama Administration? I look forward to hearing the Minister's response on the number of meetings he had while he was in Washington.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Eamon Gilmore)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am aware of his longstanding interest in this issue.

Addressing the position of the undocumented Irish and reforming our migration arrangements with the United States remain important priorities for the Government in its relationship with the US Administration and US Congress. The Taoiseach and I discussed immigration issues with President Obama when we met with him on 23 May last year in Dublin. I have also had exchanges during the course of 2011 with the Secretary of State Mrs. Clinton and Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair of the Senate judiciary committee.

Enabling Irish people to apply for E-3 temporary US work visas has been a particular focus of the Government's efforts in the context of our overall ongoing exchanges with the US Administration and Congress on immigration related issues. E-3 visas are non-immigrant worker visas and renewable every two years.

Senators Schumer, Leahy and Durbin and Senators Brown and Kirk had tabled draft Bills which would enable the provision of E-3 visas to Irish applicants. Both Bills have since been referred for examination by the US Senate's judiciary committee and I am pleased that progress is being made towards securing the bipartisan consensus that will be required if a good overall result is to be achieved. During my recent visits to Washington DC and New York, I had further separate contacts with Deputy Secretary Bill Burns of the US State Department and with Senators Leahy, Brown and Schumer and members of the "Friends of Ireland" group in the House of Representatives. I thanked the Senators and the "Friends of Ireland" group for their ongoing efforts in this regard and encouraged them to persist towards reaching a positive outcome. I also assured them of the Government's continuing close interest and support in this connection.

Our embassy is in turn working closely with key stakeholder groups from throughout the Irish-American community. The Taoiseach met last week in New York with representatives from several of these groups, including the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform and the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centres. He acknowledged and thanked all these groups and others from within Irish America for their vital help in rallying support behind our collective efforts.

While the advances made so far are heartening, I am conscious that the current US domestic political climate on immigration issues and the presidential elections taking place there later this year mean that nothing can be taken for granted. Therefore, the Taoiseach and I will continue to take every opportunity over the coming weeks and through the St. Patrick's Day period to maintain momentum behind these efforts.

While E-3 visas address future flows between Ireland and the US, we need to continue to seek comprehensive reform to address the issue of the undocumented. The Government will therefore continue to engage closely through the embassy with key players in the US Congress over the period ahead, with a view to further advancing our Irish E-3 visa objectives and those of the undocumented.

Senator Mark Daly

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. It is a difficult area, with so many competing elements in Washington. I would like to impress on him that at some stage in the negotiations at committee level in the US Senate, we will be given an E-3 visa at the Australian entry level, which is degree level. We should with all our diplomatic might to say "No" to that. We can give way on the waivers because we understand that the Republican Party cannot support that, but we require the leaving certificate as the educational requirement. I fear that in the horse trading that will take place, we could end up with a very high education threshold, which is not good for many tradesman who want to work legally in the US. It will also stop us down the line using our good contacts with the Clintons in the State Department to look for administrative waivers. Most of the undocumented in the US do not have the education requirements of the Australian E-3 visa. If that requirement is the threshold for the US E-3 visa, it will be of very little use to anybody going for an administrative waiver.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

The Schumer Bill and the Brown Bill both pitch the education requirement at the leaving certificate level or thereabouts. This is an election year in the United States. Like anywhere else, an election year presents the most difficult set of circumstances, politically, in which to make progress on an issue like this. The Government wants to make progress here. There are broadly similar Bills from both sides of the aisle in the United States Senate. We want to make it clear to Senators Brown and Schumer that we will work with them and support them in every way we can and maintain contact with them on that front. In doing that, we must be mindful not to add to their difficulties in persuading their colleagues to support the Bills they have drafted and brought before the Senate.

We are continuing with the discussions. It is important for us to bear in mind that this is an election year in the United States. The Taoiseach and I have plans to maintain contacts with key figures in Washington to set out our support and to make it clear that we are anxious to see progress made on this matter. We will continue that over the coming weeks. Senators Brown and Schumer were positive in the meetings we had. Senator Leahy, when I spoke to him, was positive. We will work on the positive approach and response we got and help in every way we can to make progress on this issue.

Iarratais Víosaí

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh mo shean chara, an t-Aire Stáit ag an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta, an Teachta Dinny McGinley. Ní minic muid a bheith ag caint faoi ábhar ar bith seachas ábhar Gaeltachta, ach b'fhéidir nach bhfuil aon dochar ansin. Tá mé fíor bhuíoch dó faoi theacht isteach chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé.

Ábhar é seo a tarraingíodh anuas ag grúpa atá lonnaithe i nGaillimh agus a thugann tacaíocht do mhuintir na Palaistíne, go háirithe do pháistí bheaga i gcríocha na Palaistíne. D'iarr siad orm é seo a ardú. Bunaíodh an grúpa seo in 2000. Chuaigh ionadaithe ón ngrúpa anonn go Gaza agus chas siad le bean óg thall ansin atá ag obair, mar oibrí dheonach, i naíolann bheag thall ansiúd.

Tá an grúpa seo i nGaillimh ag pleanáil cuairte eile a thabhairt ar limistéar Gaza go luath. Tá an cuairt seo á phleanáil le dhá bhliain anuas. Ceann des na rudaí a theastaíonn uathu a dhéanamh ná an bhean seo atá ag obair ins an naíolann siúd a thabhairt anall le tacaíocht a thabhairt di, ó thaobh breagán agus mar sin de, agus le go bhféadfadh sí labhairt le muintir na Gaillimhe. Tugadh cuireadh di i Mí Iúil seo caite agus tá an grúpa sásta íoc as a cuid costais taistil, lóistín agus mar sin de. Ní chuirfeadh sí aon chostas ar an Stát agus bheadh an grúpa breá sásta aire a thabhairt di.

I ngan fhios don ghrúpa seo chuir an consal in Ambasáid na hÉireann i Tel Aviv an t-iarratas go dtí an Roinn Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais i mBaile Átha Cliath. Ó shin i leith tá deacrachtaí ann deimhniú a fháil an bhfuil an bhean seo chun cead a fháil taisteal nó nach bhfuil. Tá an grúpa tacaíochta i nGaillimh tar éis cuid mhaith iarratais a chur ar aghaidh ag iarraidh eolas breise. Is cosúil go raibh míchruinneas ins an eolas a bhí ag feidhmeannaigh éagsúla sa Roinn mar gur dhiúltaigh siad an t-iarratas ar chúinsí airgeadais agus nach raibh an páipéarachas cuí curtha ar aghaidh. Cuireadh an páipéarachas cuí ar fad chun cinn arís agus tugadh barántais ó thaobh airgeadais agus mar sin de.

Ó shin i leith, tá ceisteanna eile ardaithe. Cuireadh ceist an raibh an bhean pósta, cé go raibh sí tar éis teastas pósta a chur ar aghaidh chucu, dúradh nach raibh an ollscoil a raibh sí ag freastail uirthi ann, cé go bhfuil an ollscoil chéanna bunaithe le 30 bliain, agus mar sin agus mar siúd de.

Tá an grúpa ag iarraidh go dtiocfadh an bhean anall. Tá sé fíor-thábhachtach do pháistí na Palaistíne go dtiocfadh sí, le go bhféadfadh sé bréagáin feiliúnacha a roghnú agus a aimsiú le tabhairt anonn le tacú leis na páistí bochta seo, agus bheadh sé go maith dá bhféadfadh sí labhairt le roinnt grúpaí.

Tá mé ag ardú na ceiste seo mar go dteastaíonn uaim fáil amach an bhfuil bac á chur leis an iarratas seo, an bhfuil cúis éigin nach bhfuiltear ag tabhairt cead don bhean seo taisteal go Gaillimh, nó an féidir leis an Roinn an cheist seo a réiteach chomh scioptha agus is féidir le go mbéadh deis aici teacht go Gaillimh agus go bhféadfadh an grúpa tacaíochta bualadh léi agus an obair thábhachtach seo a dhéanamh.

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt don Seanadóir as an chás seo a thógáil.

Ós rud é gurb í an bhun-shaincheist atá ardaithe ag an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh ná próiseáil iarratais ar víosa, tá an tAire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais agus Cosanta tar éis glacadh léi arna haistriúón Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála.

Creideann an tAire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais go bhféadfaidh sé bheith cuiditheach míniú gairid a thabhairt ar conas a oibríonn córas víosaí na hÉireann agus an caidreamh idir an Roinn Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais agus an Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála i ndáil le cúrsaí víosa. Is é an t-Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais a leagann síos an beartas foriomlán maidir le víosaí agus féadfaidh iarratasóir iarratas a dhéanamh ar víosa ar líne agus cáipéisíocht tacaíochta a chur faoi bhráid aon ambasáide nó consalachta Éireannaíáit ar bith ar fud na cruinne. Tá sain-chomhshocraíocht tairmligthe maidir le ceaduithe i bhfeidhm idir an dá Roinn faoina bhféadfaidh ball foirne ambasáide, a thuairiscíonn don Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála, víosaí a dheonú in imthosca teoranta áirithe. I gcásanna atá níos casta nó i gcásanna ina mbraitheann comhaltaí foirne ambasáide nach féidir leo víosa a dheonú, déantar an t-iarratas a tharchur chuig an oifig chuí de chuid na Seirbhíse Eadóirseachta agus Inimirce, INIS. Sa chás dá dtagaraíonn an Seanadóir, fuarthas an t-iarratas bunaidh in Ambasáid na hÉireann i dTel Aviv agus cuireadh ar aghaidh go dtí ceanncheathrú INIS i mBaile Átha Claith é.

I ndail le cinntí faoi iarratais aonair ar víosa, is ceart cuimhneamh gur faoin iarratasóir atá sé Oifigeach na Víosaí a shásamh maidir le cén fáth ar cheart an víosa atáá lorg a dheonú. Ós rud é gur iarratasóir ar leith gona thosca teaghlaigh ar leith a bhíonn i gceist le gach iarratasóir, tá sé dodhéanta bheith iomlán saintreorach faoin gcineál faisnéise tacaíochta ba cheart a sholáthar. Ach ba cheart don iarratasóir a oiread fianaise a chur ar fáil agus is féidir a bhreithniú go réasúnach. Tá sé tábhachtach a thabhairt faoi deara, d'éagmais faisnéise leordhóthainí tacaíochta, nach féidir le hoifigeach na víosaí teacht ar thuairimí faoi imthosca an iarratasóra aonair. Ar deireadh thiar, is de rogha an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais, arna tarmligean chuig na hoifigigh iomchuí, an cinneadh ar aon iarratas ar víosa.

Cé nach ndéanann an tAire iarratais aonair a phlé, de ghnáth, is féidir leis a rá sa chás seo gur bean óg Phailistíneach a thugann iníon léinn uirthi féin atá san iarratasóir ar víosa. lonadaithe de chuid Ghrúpa Tacaíochta Leanaí Gaillimh — na Pailistíne atá san óstach agus sa lucht tagartha in Éirinn. Ba é cuspóir na cuairte, mar a cuireadh síos uirthi san iarratas, ná cuidiú le roghnú bréagán oiriúnach lena dtabhairt go Gaza, mar aon leis an bhféidearthacht bhreise go labhródh sí ar an ngleic i nGaza i gcathracha éagsúla in Éirinn. Diúltaíodh don iarratas ar dtús de dheasca roinnt imthosca, ar a n-áirítear neamhréireacht i bhfaisnéis phearsanta an iarratasóra, neamhleorgacht na dtaifead airgeadais a cuireadh ar fáil agus faisnéis eile a fuarthas amach ó fhiosrúcháin a rinneadh le linn an t-iarratas ar an víosa a phróiseáil. Féachtar ar gach taobh d'iarratais ar víosaí, ag cur san áireamh an fhaisnéis go léir atá ar fáil, agus, mar a dúradh thuas, is faoin iarratasóir atá sé an t-am go léir a dheimhniú d'oifigeach na víosaí go bhfuil an víosa tuillte. Agus cinneadh á dhéanamh ar aon víosa, ní mór d'oifigeach na víosaí cóimheá chuí a bhaint amach idir córas éifeachtach inimirce a bheith ann agus gan an iomarca constaicí neamhriachtanacha nó míréasúnacha a chur i mbealach na ndaoine a bhfuil fúthu taisteal ar chúiseanna bailí agus ar dócha go gcloífidh siad le téarmaí a víosaí. Agus na cúinsí go léir á gcur san áireamh sa chás seo, ní raibh an té a bhí ag déanamh an chinnidh lánsásta go gcloífeadh an t-iarratasóir le coinníollacha an víosa, go háirithe go bhfíllfeadh sí tar éis don víosa dul in éag.

Chun aon amhras a sheachaint, is ceart go mbeadh a fhios ag an Seanadóir go bhfuarthas 83,000 iarratas ar víosa chun teacht isteach sa tír anuraidh agus, san iomlán, ceadaíodh 91% díobh. Is é 91% an uimhir de na hiarratais a ceadaíodh ó shealbhóirí pasanna de chuid Údarás na Palaistíne agus tá sin go hiomlán de réir an ráta ceadaithe ar fud na cruinne.

Fuarthas achomharc ina dhiaidh sin, mar aon le huirríll thar ceann an iarratasóra. Oifigeach eile, níos sinsearaí ná an chéad oifigeach víosaí, a dhéileálann le gach achomharc maidir le víosa. Cé go ndearnadh breithniú iomlán ar na huirríll sin, níor bhraith an t-oifigeach achomharc gur tugadh aghaidh go leordhóthanach ar na cúiseanna bunaidh gur diúltaíodh don iarratas agus sheas an t-oifigeach leis an gcinneadh bunaidh. Is mar sin atá cúrsaí maidir leis an iarratas seo.

Mar is féidir a dhéanamh i gcónaí, is féidir leis an iarratasóir iarratas úr ar víosa a chur isteach más mian léi cuairt a thabhairt ar Éirinn agus féachfar ar aon iarratas den sórt sin ar a thuillteanais. Is mian leis an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais a chur in iúl go ndéantar cinneadh i leith víosaí ar bhealach críonna agus nach léiriú ar charachtar an iarratsóra é diúltú d'iarratas. Is féidir go ndéanfaidh oifigeach na víosaí víosaí a dhiúltú bunaithe ar mhíthuiscintí ach, lena athrá, is faoin iarratasóir atá sé a dheimhniú d'oifigeach na víosaí gur cheart víosa a thabhairt. Dá ndéanfadh an t-iarratasóir iarratas eile sa chás seo, ba ghá aghaidh a thabhairt ar na cúiseanna gur diúltaíodh don iarratas bunaidh, go háirithe an fhaisnéis neamhdhóthanach airgeadais a cuireadh ar fáil.

Níl aon níá rá ag an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais anseo faoi na pointí a ardaíodh sna huirríll ón Seanadóir ach sa mhéid a bhaineann siad le próiseáil iarrratas ar víosaí. Is mian leis an Aire a dheimhniú don Seanadóir agus don Teach go raibh an tslí ar déileáladh leis an iarratas seo ag teacht i gcónaí leis na nósanna imeachta caighdeánacha maidir le próiseáil iarratas. De bhreis ar sin, is féidir leis an Seanadóir bheith cinnte de go bpléitear go fíordháiríre le hiarratais ó dhaoine a bhfuil cónaí orthu i gcríocha na Pailistíne, agus leis an leibhéal céanna cúraim agus airde ar mhionsonraí is a phléitear le gach iarratas eile a thagann isteach, is cuma as cén pháirt den chruinne óna dtagann siad.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Táim fíor-bhuíoch as an bhfreagra cuimsitheach sin, ach leis an fhírinne a rá tá mé díomach leis. Dúradh liom gur cuireadh faisnéis airgeadais ar aghaidh ó bhaill an ghrúpa seo atá ag iarraidh na mná seo a thabhairt anall ar chuairt a léirigh go raibh maoin go leor ag an eagraíocht leis an chuairt a sheasamh. Ba mhaith liom anois go gcuirfeadh an tAire Stáit an cheist ar an Aire ag fiafraí dó an bhfuil treoirlínte le fáil? Dúradh sa bhfreagra nach raibh an té a bhí ag déanamh an cinnidh lánsásta go gcloífeadh an t-iarratasóir le coinníollacha an víosa, go háirithe go bhfillfeadh sí tar éis don víosa dul in éag. An bhfuil treoirlínte ag an Roinn maidir leis an chaoi a dtagann sé ar chinneadh den chineál seo nó an mbraitheann an cinneadh ar a dtuairimí féin bunaithe ar an fhaisnéis? Cén chaoi a bhfuil a fhios ag an Roinn nach raibh an bhean seo chun filleadh tar éis di an chuairt a thabhairt ar Ghaillimh? An bhfuil treoirlínte faoi leith i gceist leis sin? An ndéileáiltear le gach cás mar a chéile sa chás go bhfuil duine atá ar bheagán ioncaim nó as cúlra níos boichte ag teacht ar chuairt, mar shampla duine ón Aifric nóó thíortha bochta an domhain? An ndéileáiltear le gach tír agus gach áit mar a chéile? Tá mé buíoch as an bhfreagra.

Deputy Dinny McGinley

Maidir le treoirlínte a bheith leagtha síos, déanfaidh mé fiosrúchán faoi sin agus cuirfear an t-eolas sin ar fáil don Seanadóir chomh luath agus is féidir. Maidir le cúlra an iarratasóra, sílim go léiríonn na figiúirí a tugadh nach bhfuil aon chos ar bolg ná aon leatrom á dhéanamh ar iarratasóiríón bPailistín. Dúradh sa bhfreagra go nglactar le 91% de na hiarratais a thagann isteach as fud na cruinne agus go nglactar leis an céatadán céanna, 91%, de na hiarratais a thagann isteach ón bPailistín. Sílim go n-aontódh an Seanadóir liom go léiríonn na figiúirí sin nach bhfuil aon leatrom nó difir á dhéanamh idir muintir na Pailistíne agus na daoine a thagann ón chuid eile den domhan. Is é an céatadán céanna a nglactar. Beidh deis ag an iarrthóir seo iarratas úr a chur isteach agus déanfar é a bhreithniú arís. Déanfaidh mé fiosrú láithreach don Seanadóir faoi an bhfuil na treoirlínte ar fáil, agus más rud é go bhfuil, déanfar na socruithe iad a chur chuige gan tuilleadh moille.

European Globalisation Fund

Senator Colm Burke

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This issue relates to the European Globalisation Fund, EGF, and the need to ensure we draw down all the funds available to us. Some €35.7 million was to be made available to us under this fund and I understand that the companies and the names of the people entitled to draw these funds were submitted with the applications over the past 12 months but that the take-up of the fund has not been as expected. It is important we avail of this opportunity to provide retraining for people who have been involved in the construction industry and who are now unemployed as a result of the downturn.

A number of issues arise, the first of which is the reason for the slow take-up of the fund. I understand that more than 8,700 letters were sent in December but fewer than 1,000 responses were received. I was informed there were only 452 responses to the 8,779 letters. Why were these letters sent out so late when, as I understand, we have only a five-month period in which to draw down this funding? What type of retraining was offered in those letters?

I raise this matter because one of our national newspapers last weekend raised an issue concerning VEC courses. Over that weekend a number of employers contacted me and advised me that they would not take on people who had done a particular VEC course because the course was so outdated and the training the person would receive would not provide the skills necessary for the job available. While we are talking about upskilling people who have lost jobs, we should also take a look at upskilling or updating the training courses. If there is such a low take-up of retraining, this raises serious questions as to what is on offer. I am aware we must provide funding from the Exchequer for this training, but we have a significant opportunity to access this EGF funding and should avail of it.

In 2009 when the Dell closure was announced, I was involved then in approaching the European Commissioner and seeking amendments to the rules in order that we could accommodate the Dell workers to qualify for retraining grants. The Department and its officials have done a lot of work in achieving further amendments to accommodate the people who have lost their jobs in the construction industry.

We appear to be in a situation where we may not be able to draw down a huge proportion of this funding, anything up to €20 million, as I understand it. Will the Minister of State clarify the current situation and set out exactly what we propose to do in the next two months to improve the situation in order to maximise the drawdown? Is it worth taking on a major advertising programme to encourage people to enter the training process? I ask that this be clarified.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. In June 2010 the Department submitted an application to the EU for European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, co-financed assistance for almost 9,000 redundant construction workers. The workers were made redundant between 1 July 2009 and 31 March 2010 and were individually identified as is required to meet the conditions of the fund. This was done through either official data held on redundancy payments or from FÁS apprenticeship records. The EU subsequently required this application to be divided into three separate applications covering specific industry sub-sectors. This exercise, which involved a huge and complex exercise in data collation across a number of external bodies such as the Central Statistics Office and FÁS, resulted in the submission of three revised applications in February 2011.

As the Senator knows, the EGF approval process is a lengthy one involving the EU budgetary authorities at Commission, Council and Parliament levels. This resulted in the Irish applications not being finally approved until November 2011. This left only six months for the completion of the EGF programme. As I pointed out to Commissioner László Andor when he visited Ireland recently, a feature of the EGF process that is often criticised by member states is that the finite implementation period of 24 months commences upon submission of the application rather than upon its subsequent approval, when the member state finally can be assured that the EU money will be made available.

This was a significant factor in these construction cases where very large amounts of money were at stake that would have otherwise fallen to the Irish Exchequer to cover had it ultimately been decided that the EU money would not be made available. However, it is important to stress that Irish interventions have been taking place in support of EGF-eligible construction workers as far back as the first redundancies in July 2009. Until the receipt of EU funding last December, these measures were funded exclusively through national resources.

Since taking office, I have ensured that preparations to implement supports for these workers were accelerated and supports were ready to be provided as soon as possible after the EU decision was made. My Department chaired an interdepartmental and agency steering group to speed up this process and put in place a dedicated EGF construction contact centre and technical support group to facilitate the redundant workers in accessing supports. This dedicated contact centre is based in Limerick and mostly comprises staff who were involved in the delivery of the EGF programme for Dell workers. Measures will continue to be delivered right up until the closure of the three EGF programmes on 9 June 2012. These measures include career guidance, further education and training courses, apprenticeship progression, third level education programmes and enterprise supports.

EGF funds of €35.7 million were received by the Government on 29 December 2011. My Department estimates that over €20 million worth of nationally funded EGF interventions have already been provided for the commencement of at least 4,500 interventions in the areas of guidance, training, apprenticeship progression and third level courses. Following the EU approval, letters of notification of a number of additional EGF services issued to 8,779 redundant construction workers on 19 December 2011. These new services included tailored VEC career planning courses and EGF training grants, enabling the widest choice of non-State funded training and education opportunities to be availed of by the redundant workers, thus giving the workers a huge degree of autonomy in using dedicated training grants to access training that they deemed necessary for their own careers advancement.

Since this notification and up until 27 January 2012, the latest available data indicates, as Senator Burke pointed out, that an additional 452 eligible individuals accessed the services of the new EGF construction contact centre, which provides telephone and online information and supports access to professional career and occupational guidance. A dedicated EGF website, egf.ie, also went live in December and provides further information on the EGF construction programmes as well as an online application process for the EGF training grant scheme. By 27 January, it is estimated that some 275 persons had accessed or were in the process of accessing these new interventions. The Irish authorities continue to encourage eligible redundant construction workers to avail of the wide array of EGF-related services available to them.

It is important to point out the aim is not to simply maximise EU co-financing but to provide appropriate and tailored interventions to this cohort of redundant workers so as to maximise their re-employability. I also want to point out that, since I assumed this ministry, I have initiated a review of our previous EGF applications across the Dell group, the SR Technics group and the Waterford Crystal group to find where we succeeded and, in areas where we certainly did not succeed, how we can best benefit from this EGF programme. That review will be concluded shortly and we will use the information gleaned from it, and also from communicating with worker representatives across those three entities and trying to extract from them their experiences, both positive and negative, of how the funds have in the past been administered, to guide us in making future applications. It is important to note that the first application under this Government will be for the TalkTalk workers in Waterford. I hope the standard of that application and the level of research carried out before lodging the application will be such that it will make the guidance and training delivered much more meaningful and helpful for those seeking to access it.

The Senator also noted there was a need across the further education and training sectors to upskill or update the training courses we provide. I concur wholeheartedly with that opinion. That is exactly what we are setting out to do with Solas, which will ensure the training we are providing is up to the minute, responds to the needs of learners and trainees and also, perhaps more importantly, responds to the needs of the labour market and to industry in general. We are and will be carrying out extensive research both nationally and at regional level as to where job opportunities and labour market shortages will arise. We will be reorienting training and further education opportunities in order that they can respond in a meaningful manner to those labour market shortages and to the needs of the learners accessing both training and further education opportunities.

Senator Colm Burke

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. As I understand it, he is suggesting that people can go outside the State-funded training organisations, such as the VEC, for courses, which I very much welcome. In regard to the application that was made for the €37.5 million, what is the total number of those who have completed training or are in training? What is the likely level of funding we will have to refund and does this take into account the current figures? The other issue I raised concerned whether there is a need for further highlighting of the programme in order that the maximum number of people can get on board. The programme is related to people who were employed in companies. What about the self-employed who no longer have work, such as sub-contractors? Can they come under the programme?

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

The answer to the Senator last question is that, no, unfortunately, they cannot. The application was made for a very specific cohort of workers who were made redundant from a company and had a redundancy notice applied to them. We could not have made an application on their behalf if we did not have that redundancy notice.

Anybody who was previously involved in the construction sector continues to have the opportunity to access what are generally excellent upskilling and training programmes. This will allow them to take their existing skills and reorient them somewhat in order to avail of opportunities arising in such areas as green energy, wind energy, the retrofitting of houses to make them more environmentally sustainable and so on. Any former construction workers, irrespective of whether they are out of work for some time or have only recently been made redundant, can access these training programmes.

We will not have the final figures for the numbers of interventions until we submit the final accounts for the scheme to the Commission, probably at the end of June. In respect of any employee who was made redundant from this cohort of 9,000 people, we can claim back 65% of the cost of any intervention we provided for them in the past two years, since 2009. This is because they are deemed to be applicants in the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund process. Any interventions we provided for them can be funded from the €35.7 million allocation. The Department estimates that some €20 million of this spend has already been allocated across this cohort.

One of the greatest challenges facing apprentices made redundant from the construction sector in the past two years is that many of them had not achieved their final qualification. Some were four fifths or five sixths of the way along the process, others even less. We have allocated considerable resources to engaging with them in order to give them the opportunity to complete their apprenticeships and attain a formal qualification. This will allow them to further their career in the State or perhaps seek work abroad. We will not know the final figures for the numbers of interventions or the amount we have spent until the final accounts and administration work are completed in the summer.

The Seanad adjourned at 6.45 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 16 February 2012.