Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 January 2017
198. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason Ireland, from the period 2007 to 2013, returned €3,933,413.66 of €8,244,939.65 that was allocated to Ireland from the European fund for the integration of third-country nationals, which saw 47.71% of the allocated funds permanently lost; and the systems which have been put in place to make sure it does not happen in the future. [1772/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra199. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the expected level of EU funding which Ireland will receive for the period starting from 2014 onwards for integration funding for third country nationals; the amount Ireland has received to date; the expected total of funding; the way in which it has been spent to date; the assistance the Government is providing to help with the distribution and use of this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1773/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.
The underspend in the allocation under the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals 2007 to 2013 (but with the eligibility period ending on 30 June 2015) was mainly due to an insufficiency of suitable projects with the required level of matching funding.
This Fund, together with the European Refugee Fund and the European Return Fund, was replaced by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2014 to 2020 (but with the eligibility period ending on 31 December 2022). The AMIF has four specific objectives relating to asylum (including resettlement), integration, return, and solidarity (relocation). Of the €19.519 million allocated to Ireland, €5.455 million is earmarked in our National Programme for integration. There is provision for switching allocations between specific objectives depending on where a greater need might arise and, therefore, I am confident that our national allocation will be spent by end 2022.
I launched the first call for applications under the Fund on 22 September last with a closing date of 10 November. This call focused on the asylum and integration areas and aimed to make €4.5 million available over the period 2017 to 2020. I understand that the decision on applications (in which neither the Tánaiste nor I have a personal input) is imminent and that the funds available will be substantially allocated. It is not possible at this stage to say how much will be allocated for each specific objective and, indeed, many applications addressed both asylum and integration.
