Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to address the failure highlighted in the Dáil on Wednesday 26 October 2011 in respect of the use of European globalisation funds; and the EGF funding programmes for workers in companies (details supplied). [30991/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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A number of steps have been taken to improve the availability of information on EGF issues at local level and to deal with the type of difficulties that were raised previously in this regard.

In December 2011 the Department, through the auspices of FAS, established an EGF construction contact centre for the three EGF construction sector programmes then ongoing. Similarly, in March 2012 a dedicated co-ordination unit was established in relation to the most recent EGF application which was submitted to the European Commission on 29 February 2012 on behalf of redundant workers at the Talk Talk company in Waterford and at a number of ancillary enterprises.

In December 2011 the Department also established a dedicated website www.egf.ie which provides public information and contact points in relation to current approved EGF programmes and current EGF applications as well as general information on the EGF in Ireland.

Late last year, I initiated a review of the completed Dell, Waterford Crystal and S R Technics EGF programmes. The review sought to assess what worked well in these programmes and to identify and address where improvements could be made.

In this context a consultation document was circulated for comment to key stakeholders including the relevant worker representative groups in late December 2011. A public forum stakeholders event was held in April 2012 at which a number of presentations were made by workers representatives and other invited stakeholders. This event was also attended by a European Commission representative. All inputs to the review process were duly considered and the Department is currently finalising a document for publication outlining the main outcomes of the review.

A number of the issues which were surfaced in the review process up to that point were duly taken into account in the framing of the Talk Talk EGF application and in the subsequent rollout of certain tailored services funded exclusively through national sources in anticipation of subsequent EU approval of the EGF application.