Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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444. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has set up its electronic data exchange system, known as e-cohesion, and if not the reason. [20876/16]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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445. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has implemented a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements; and if this has not been done, the amount of funding Ireland has either lost or been unable to drawdown each year because of this, in tabular form. [20877/16]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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446. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Ireland has implemented a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements; and if this has not been done, the reason therefore. [20878/16]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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447. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated conclusion date for the implementation of a national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements. [20879/16]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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448. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the name of the company which won the tender for the contract to develop and implement the national information technology system to meet the 2014-2020 ESIF requirements. [20880/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 444 to 448, inclusive, together.

My Department, in conjunction with relevant Departments and agencies, is in the process of establishing an eCohesion system to meet the regulatory requirements for the European Structural & Investment (ESI) Funds for 2014-2020. The system relates to three of the funds covered by the ESI Funds: the European Regional Development Fund, which is under the aegis of my Department and funding for which is delivered through two regional operational programmes managed by the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly; the European Social Fund, which is the responsibility of the Department of Education & Skills; and the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund, which is under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. The system will also be used to claim funds under the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD), which is under the remit of the Department of Social Protection.

On 4 March 2016 tenders were invited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for the provision of the ICT system. There were insufficient compliant tenders received in response to the RFT such as to amount to effective and genuine competition. The tender competition was discontinued on the 18 of May 2016. My Department has carried out consultations with the market, the European Commission and other Member States and with assistance from relevant Departments and agencies, is reviewing our requirements with a view to carrying out a new procurement process in early course. The conclusion date for this project will depend on the proposals received from tenderers but is expected to be in 2017.

As far as the European Regional Development Fund, for which my Department has overall responsibility, is concerned, no funding has been lost or not drawn down because of this.