Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Mid-year Review of the 2017 Estimates for Public Services: Vote 32

4:00 pm

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Yes. I will get that figure for the Deputy and forward it to him.

On Succeed in Ireland, we have said previously that the Department will be commissioning an independent review of the Succeed in Ireland programme. That review will be carried out after the details of the initiative's full and final costs are available. That will equip us with a full understanding of the programme's results and its contribution to employment generation in the State. This is in the interests of good governance and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. I hope the terms of reference can be finalised shortly. We are examining the responses to the public consultation and that will help to shape the final text. As the Deputy is aware, there was a public consultation that looked for observations on the draft terms of references. It received 17 different submissions from a broad range of stakeholders, including public representatives and the public. The review cannot begin until the full costs of the programme are clear and the full costs will not be clear until the ConnectIreland dispute with IDA Ireland is finalised, one way or another. I hope that this issue can be brought to a conclusion and we can move on to evaluate the programme and look to the future.