John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the €35 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund announced for the construction industry will be accessible by self-employed persons whose businesses had been connected to the industry and who now have lost their employment due to the downturn; the criteria for access to this fund and if it only applies to PAYE persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29867/11]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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On 7 October 2011, the European Commission approved co-financing of €35.7m under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in respect of three applications for assistance submitted in June 2010 for almost 9,000 employees made redundant at enterprises belonging to employers in the construction NACE 41, 43 and 71 sub-sectors between 1 July 2009 and 31 March 2010. These applications still require to be approved by the other EU budgetary authorities of the European Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

The affected population of almost 9,000 employees were identified based on data held in the statutory redundancy payment system and in the FÁS redundant apprentice system.

Self-employed workers are not currently covered under the EGF Regulation for the period 2007-2013. A new European Commission proposal tabled on 6 October on an EGF Regulation for the period 2014-2020 does however propose the inclusion of self-employed workers. Discussions on the new proposals have not yet commenced at EU level.