Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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299. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the timetable for the independent review of the Succeed-in-Ireland programme which her department has commissioned; if her department has assessed the projected costs of the programme to date; if not, the reason for the delay; if submissions to the public consultation will be published; and her plans to meet representatives directly from the IDA and Connect Ireland directly. [53682/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As has been announced previously, it is intended to commission an independent review of the Succeed-in-Ireland programme. That review, once completed, will equip us with a thorough understanding of the programme’s results and its contribution to employment generation in the State.

The difficulty remains, as has been made clear previously, that the review cannot proceed until it is possible to assess the projected costs of the programme. However, an accurate assessment of the projected costs - which is indispensable if the review is to determine whether the programme provided value for money for the taxpayer - cannot be made until ConnectIreland resolves or otherwise concludes its dispute with IDA Ireland about the operation of the initiative and the number of jobs it has created.

It is therefore essential that the dispute be resolved or concluded so that the review can proceed. Regarding the submissions to the public consultation, these will be published once we are able to progress the review.