Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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As the Tánaiste will be aware, the midlands and County Offaly, in particular, are the areas most impacted by the just transition. The loss of Bord na Móna created a significant ripple effect in communities right across the county. Most recently, we have been hard again with the planned closures of Cardinal Health followed by Fastway Couriers in Portarlington only a few short weeks ago. There is an air of major uncertainty in terms of our economic development and jobs into the future and many constituents and, indeed, small businesses have conveyed that to me.

Into that mix, we now have a fairly damning report on the Just Transition Fund and its implementation in the region by European Movement Ireland. Despite being vehemently pro-EU, the report makes it abundantly clear that there has been significant and well-grounded criticism from local community groups that Just Transition Funds' have been allocated unequally across counties and with inadequate consultation. Indeed, comments by Dr. Gillian Kennedy, policy manager at European Movement Ireland, were also reported by the Offaly Independent recently. Dr. Kennedy states in the report that the findings demonstrate that there have been challenges in the fund's roll-out and that there have been barriers preventing communities from fully benefiting from it. Beyond job creation, ongoing structural issues in some of the designated territories were also identified. For example, on the implementation of funds, local councillors in Offaly have also been critical of the lack of joined-up thinking and the structural challenges linked to tourism, accommodation and infrastructure that cannot be tackled by the just transition process alone. These comments indicate that the predominantly project-based aspect of the tourism regeneration funds will be insufficient without parallel investment needed in infrastructure in Offaly and in the midlands.

In terms of solutions - and I want to be solution-based here in my approach today - Dr. Kennedy pinpoints out simplifying the application process and ensuring fairer access to funding are critical to making the transition truly just and, indeed, more importantly, more equitable. This is vital as the report notes widespread concerns over the complexity of the funding system with both farmers and community groups citing difficulties in accessing support. What we have here is effectively a just transition process that was posed as a solution to the problem but instead it has ended up causing a whole range of distinct new problems in its place.

I am asking the Tánaiste to take note of this important report and its findings and to commit to using every piece of leverage he has at EU level to ensure that the process does not descend any further into a web of funding barriers that would result in communities in Offaly continuing to suffer from a process that was imposed and foisted on them without adequate consultation. We should not be left carrying the financial and social can here for a project that is rapidly losing whatever limited appeal it had.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Nolan for raising the matter and the constructive way in which she has brought forward suggestions. I visited County Offaly recently with my colleague, Deputy Clendennen, and Councillor Noel Cribbin, in Edenderry and I was pleased to see lots of good work going on in terms of swimming pool plans, school plans and big work being done on the main street, which I know had caused some temporary disruption for shop owners but the benefit of which they recognise as well.

I want to see central government working with local government, working with Offaly and working with communities in the midlands to make a fair stab here of the Just Transition Fund and to make sure that the benefits are felt, that the bureaucracy is minimised and that we can get things moving as well. We are absolutely committed to a just transition. The aim here is to ensure that no one is left behind as we take action in relation to climate. Deputy Nolan is correct. The midlands is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this area. That is why we will step up and help too.

The national Just Transition Fund, as the Deputy will be aware, was established in 2020. It was a key pillar of our plan for the midlands to try to support workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat extraction by Bord na Móna. There was €22 million made available to local and community-led projects in eight midland counties to implement innovative plans supporting the transition across a range of activities, whether support for local business, for community development, research, tourism, heritage projects, the development of greenways and opportunities for education, training and re-skilling.

The EU Just Transition Fund programme is providing up to €169 million to support the longer term economic transition of the region arising from the end of that peat extraction and peat-fired power generation. Fifty-six projects have been successful in their application. These included 18 projects in County Offaly.

I take the point the Deputy makes about the need to make sure at an EU level that we are doing all that we can in relation to ensuring that we benefit here in Ireland and that the midlands benefits and County Offaly benefits too. I suggest we reflect on how we can use our Presidency of the Council of the European Union which will take place in the second half of next year to perhaps showcase some of the good work that has been done but also perhaps to showcase some of the challenges that we need to overcome in terms of how such schemes are administered as well. I am certainly committed to working with people in a constructive manner in relation to this as well. I am happy to receive any correspondence or insights from the Deputy in relation to this.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his response and, indeed, his commitment to look further at this. I believe we need to look at it urgently because, as I said, of the unexpected job losses that we have suffered in the county on top of bearing the brunt of the job losses in the midlands - County Offaly bears that brunt. We need to act, urgently and swiftly, and we need to support the local community groups that are trying to put in applications. It has been conveyed to me on many occasions that there are challenges in providing 50% matching funding and the bureaucratic maze that the applications, in particular, the EU forms, require. What is required there is above what a small rural community group can do in terms of time, skill, expertise and administration. I acknowledge the role of Offaly County Council which has been good and hands-on in guiding groups. One solution might be if we were to provide Offaly County Council with more staff to help the community groups to get the applications in and to ensure that we benefit. At the end of the day, Offaly bore the greatest brunt of job losses and we have had job losses in the two companies, Cardinal Health and Fastway Couriers, as well.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is getting the benefit of the challenge, depending on her perspective, for the fact that I visited her county recently on Deputy Clendennen's invitation. I had a chance to meet some of the local authority officials.

I share the Deputy's view that they are very good people. I am often quick enough in this House to say when I find a local authority that is not lifting enough weight or not doing enough. I was very taken by the people I met in the town hall, or municipal district office, in Edenderry, which is a beautiful building. There is more that can be done. The Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, was involved in conversations there with councillors and others on the idea of EU funding officers. It is about how we make sure our local authorities are empowered to be ready - I say that in a supportive way - to draw down the maximum amount of funding. Let me explore that. I am also conscious we are having this conversation against the backdrop of the very difficult situation around job losses in the county recently. I am thinking of the Fastway workers and others, and their families, at what is a difficult time.

On the EU Just Transition Fund programme, I take the point that we can always look at how we can make things better and cut bureaucracy. I am a fan of that but we have seen 15 calls from that fund between October 2023 and December 2025, with over €93 million in funding now committed to projects. That funding is now being distributed to grantees. It is expected further project announcements will be made in the coming weeks.