Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputies O'Donnell and Deenihan for raising this issue and acknowledge the regular contact we have received from Deputy O'Donnell on the issue of the globalisation fund over the past number of months.

As the House is aware, the mid-west task force completed an interim report which was presented to the Minister by the chairman, Mr. Denis Brosnan, last July. A number of national and local issues were dealt with in the report. All measures taken by the Government to address the downturn in the economy have benefited regions including the mid-west region. The measures taken by the Government were outlined fully in an initial response by the Minister to the recommendations of the task force in late September of last year. Given the wide range of recommendations in the report, the Minister also brought the report to the attention of the Cabinet, and it is currently being further considered in a number of Departments, as well as my own, following the recent budget.

The Minister and I are very grateful for the work undertaken by Mr. Brosnan and the other members of the task force, and I will continue to keep the task force informed of the Government's work on matters covered in the interim recommendations. The task force identified a number of issues for further study in its final report, which we look forward to receiving. Over the coming weeks I intend to visit Limerick and I have no difficulty in meeting members of the task force to discuss their specific concerns about its implementation.

As the Deputies will be aware, the European Globalisation Fund, EGF, was approved by EU budgetary authorities in late December 2009 and we anticipate the transfer of EU funds later this month. Provision has also been made under my Department's Vote, as Deputy O'Donnell recognised, for the national financing element. The timeframe permitted for eligible expenditure under the fund is September 2011. We are continuing with the implementation of the suite of EGF-funded measures. For example, FÁS has already provided guidance services and training courses to over 1,500 workers affected by the closure of the Dell plant in County Limerick.

My Department will be the managing authority for EGF funding in the State, while the Department of Education and Science, FÁS and Enterprise Ireland will be designated intermediate bodies for funds transfer, reporting and monitoring purposes. Approved funding will be made available to public beneficiaries delivering services on the ground to eligible redundant workers. All intermediate bodies must certify expenditure in their areas of responsibility and report to my Department, and all expenditure must adhere to relevant EU and national accounting and auditing procedures.

It is imperative that the wide suite of EGF-assisted measures being provided to eligible redundant workers is co-ordinated in the most effective and efficient manner locally and regionally. To that end, the Minister and I have charged FÁS with establishing a dedicated EGF co-ordination unit in Limerick to ensure that all relevant supports are co-ordinated on the ground in a timely, effective and efficient manner. The unit will act as the primary co-ordination agency for the Department in the implementation of the EGF programme for Dell worker supports. A manager of that unit will be appointed in the next week to act as a contact person for any queries.

This week, FÁS is contacting all relevant redundant workers to inform them of the supports being offered with EGF assistance in the areas of training, skills, entrepreneurial supports - which were mentioned by Deputy O'Donnell and which I agree should be a particular focus of the fund - and further and higher education. It is also inviting workers to a two-day information fair in early February at which all service providers will be in attendance to detail their programmes and supports, to answer queries and to provide for course registrations. A steering group will be established to include worker representative bodies in order to ensure that the views of the redundant workers and other key stakeholders are made known and fed into the implementation process.

In the first week of February I will be going to Limerick to meet representatives of the redundant workers and hear their views at first hand. I will also seek to meet the Oireachtas Members from the mid-west. A review of the operation of the EGF will be undertaken by the Department in June of this year to ensure that all measures are being taken in a timely fashion and that all expenditure is reached within the designated period.

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