Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

324. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the EU funds his Department accesses; the plans he is putting in place to access these funds to a greater degree in view of Brexit; if he will outline initiatives he is pursuing to establish access to new funds in view of the challenge of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8812/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department of Social Protection may receive funding from the European Commission through several different funding streams. These include the European Globalisation Fund (EGF), the European Social Fund (ESF)/Youth Employment Initiative, 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 European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (the EGF) supports workers made redundant as a result of major changes in global trade patterns. Along with the redundant workers, some young people under the age of 25 and not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in selected areas are also eligible for funding. The purpose of the EGF is to provide relevant supports to redundant workers to assist them back into employment. The scope of the EGF covers education and training programmes, career advice and guidance, and enterprise supports. The Department of Education and Skills is the Managing Authority in Ireland for the EGF and my Department works with it to determine whether schemes and supports are eligible for funding.

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the European Union’s financial instrument for investing in people and provides additional funding under the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) which aims to assist Member States in their efforts to put their Youth Guarantee implementation plans into practice. A number of schemes including Tús and JobsPlus have been selected to assess eligibility under the 2014-2020 ESF Operational Programme. Again, my Department liaises with the Managing Authority, the Department of Education and Skills, in this regard. In addition, EURES and some Disability schemes are also considered to determine eligibility.

My Department is the Managing Authority for the delivery of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The aim of FEAD is to break the circle of poverty and deprivation.

Clearly, a key area of concern is the impact of Brexit on the current reciprocal arrangements for social security schemes and services between Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland. The Government's long-term objective is to ensure that the reciprocity of civic rights and, specifically in the context of the meeting, social welfare rights and entitlements, which currently exist for Irish and UK citizens moving within Ireland and between Ireland and Britain under the Common Travel Area [CTA], are safeguarded and maintained. I will take every opportunity to protect and advance this objective as well as keeping the matter of EU funding under close review as will my officials.