Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

My Department has submitted final reports to the European Commission in respect of the Dell, Waterford Crystal and SR Technics programmes co-funded by the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund or EGF. The Deputy should note that as yet, none of these programmes has been formally closed by the Commission and, as such, the amounts of the reimbursements cannot be finally determined.

However, this month, my Department has made an advance payment of an estimated reimbursement to the European Commission in respect of the SR Technics programme. This amounts to €4,066,320.64. which represents 90% of the value of the EGF portion of unused programme funds. Debit notes in respect of 90% of the value of the EGF portion of unused programme funds for the Dell and Waterford Crystal programmes, in the amount of €5,380,480.17 and €506,332.35 respectively, were received by the Department on 25 June and are being duly processed.

It should be noted that the design of the EGF process provides for the return of moneys, given the inherent difficulties in precisely estimating the level of provision that will be subsequently taken up. On the basis of figures available to date, this has been the experience of all EGF applicant countries. The three construction sub-sector EGF programmes only concluded on 9 June this year. The Department does not yet have total expenditures for these programmes, which have to be submitted with final reports to the European Commission by 9 December 2012. A full picture of reimbursements will only emerge after that date.

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