Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on proposals by the previous Government regarding a €63 million retraining and upskilling fund for approximately 20,000 unemployed bricklayers, carpenters and architects and other building workers. [10874/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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On 9 June 2010 a provisional application for co-financing support from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of workers made redundant in the construction sector in Ireland between 1 July 2009 and 31 March 2010 was submitted by my Department to the European Commission. This provisional application was costed at 63m Euros, of which an EU contribution of 65% (41m Euros) was sought under the EGF with the remaining 35% (22m Euros) to be funded from national sources. The European Commission subsequently requested the breakdown and finalisation of the provisional applications into three separate applications by individual NACE 2 code. Final applications with a combined total value of 55m Euros (of which 65% is sought under the EGF) were duly submitted to the Commission in February 2011.

These applications encompass a total affected population of almost 9,100 redundant workers. The lower total cost of the finalised applications reflects the interim experience of FÁS and other bodies and agencies supplying training, education and enterprise supports of more limited participation by affected workers than originally envisaged and lower than projected unit costs of certain of the supports being taken up. The three EGF applications are currently being examined by the European Commission with relevant supports being provided, as appropriate, through national funding in the interim.