Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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418. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has implemented the structures and systems necessary, specifically, the computerised accounting and information systems for EU funds, to meet the 2014-20 functionality requirements (details supplied) to be able to draw down funding from the youth employment initiative; if Ireland has implemented the required systems necessary to retrospectively make an interim claim from May 2016 to draw down €19.8 million in additional pre-financing received under the youth employment initiative and currently held in a suspense account, or if that money will be reimbursed to the Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1304/17]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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419. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the funds that will be drawn down from the European Union youth employment initiative in 2017. [1305/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 418 and 419 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the EU additional pre-financing of €19.8m made available for the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) was due to be reimbursed to the Commission in the absence of an interim claim being submitted to the Commission by May 2016.   My Department reimbursed this pre-financing to the Commission last August.

However, the reimbursement of this pre-financing will not result in any loss of EU monies to the Exchequer, as the full YEI allocation of €68 m to Ireland will still be available for drawdown before year-end 2018, and it is expected that this funding will be fully drawn down. Furthermore, as the activities concerned are fully funded up-front by the Exchequer there is no resulting reduction in the funding available to those activities.

The current position is that work on the designation of the relevant ESF authorities, including the provision of a national computerised accounting and information system for EU funds to meet the 2014-2020 functionality requirements is continuing.  I understand that my Department expects that this designation work will be completed in the coming months and that it is proposed to commence the preparation of a first interim claim for payment from the Commission once the process of designation has concluded.  It is not possible at this stage to specify the amount of YEI funding which will be drawn down in 2017.