Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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58. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the projects under the remit of her Department that received European Union funding in 2014 and to date in 2015; the amount of funding allocated to each project; if applications have been submitted and approved for same in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29411/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department receives funding from the European Commission through several different funding streams including the European Globalisation Fund, the European Social Fund and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). These funds each operate on different timelines and have different rules and procedures. The paragraphs below set out the various schemes funded by the European Commission through these funds in 2014 and 2015.

European Globalisation Funds in relation to my Department’s activities for workers made redundant from TalkTalk in Waterford of €590,000 were received from the Commission in 2014 in relation to expenditure from September 2011-February 2014.

A claim for €2.6m (in relation to Disability Activation projects listed below) from the European Social Fund (in respect of the 2007-2013 Operational Programme) is to be submitted to the European Commission this year. A further €5m funding for disability-related activation initiatives is provided for in the 2014-2020 Operation of European Social Fund Operational Programme and details of these will be developed based on a review of the previous projects.

A pilot of the Youth Guarantee to be run in Ballymun was allocated €250,000 funding from the Commission for 2014-2015. In 2014 my Department received €150,000 from the European Commission and a further €27,000 is expected later in 2015 for this project.

EURES IE/NI Cross Border Partnership activities were allocated €207,000 of European Funding for 2013-2014 activities and €220,000 for 2015 activities. My Department received €104,000 in 2014 and a claim for €80,000 is being processed by the Commission in respect of 2013-2014. €110,000 pre-financing has been received this year in relation to 2015 activities.

EURES Ireland activities were allocated €350,000 funding for the period June 2013 to December 2014. €166,000 of this funding for EURES was received in 2014 and a further €144,000 is being processed by the Commission in respect of 2013-2014 activities. EURES also received €155,000 in 2014 for activities in the period 2012-2013. EURES has been allocated funding of €2,700,000 for 2015-2020 activities from the European Social Fund.

My Department’s Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) has received €2.5m in 2014 pre-financing to help set up the scheme. The next claim for funding for this scheme is not expected until 2016. My Department has been allocated a total of €22.8m for this programme for 2014-2020.

As well as the programmes mentioned above for 2016, my Department is expecting to make claims to the European Commission from:

-The European Social Fund for expenditure for clients under 25 on JobBridge, JobsPlus, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Tús in 2015.

- The European Globalisation Fund for expenditure on redundant workers from Andersen Ireland Limited and Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland. As part of these programmes my Department will also be claiming for activities for some under 25s not in employment, education or training in the affected areas.

-EaSi for Your first EURES job target mobility scheme designed to help clients get work in different European Countries.

The amount of funding to be claimed for each of these schemes will vary based on the levels of activity and it is too early to provide accurate estimates for next year’s funding applications.

List of Disability projects funded in 2014 for 2007-2013 European Social Fund Operational Programme