Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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76. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the €5 million contribution for the Just Transition Fund from the ESB is exclusively for the south County Longford and west County Offaly regions as the two communities most affected (details supplied). [17829/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Just Transition Fund is a key pillar of the Government's just transition plan for the midlands. Up to €11 million will be available for projects focusing on retraining workers and proposals to generate sustainable employment in green enterprise in the region, and supporting communities to transition to a low carbon economy. This is financed through an Exchequer allocation of €6m from carbon tax revenues and an additional €5 million which the ESB has agreed to commit to the Fund.  The 2020 call for proposals from my Department’s Just Transition Fund will operate on a competitive basis and is open to suitable projects from East Galway, Kildare, Laois, Longford, North Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon and Westmeath. This is in line with the approach set out in the first progress report of the Just Transition Commissioner, Mr Kieran Mulvey.

Eligible projects, which had already registered with the Midlands Regional Transition Team, had until Friday, 17 July to submit an application for funding to my Department. The submitted applications are undergoing initial assessment to confirm their eligibility for funding. Evaluation of eligible proposals will commence shortly and I intend to announce the successful projects at the conclusion of this process.