Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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916. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the findings in the recent Public Service Performance report (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21602/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2016, the Department of Justice and Equality established an Open Call for proposals under the European Social Fund’s (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL). Activity 2.9 of that programme relates to the combating all forms of discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. The specific aim of this activity was to develop and deliver one or more training models that would offer self-developmental training in employment related skills on a part time basis to women who were detached from the labour market and who were interested in entering/re-entering employment.

A total budget of €11m was allocated to the activity which funded two strands of projects:-

1. Women Returning to the Workforce, which was aimed at supporting women who were inactive, in their ambition to return to the workforce, and

2. Women’s Entrepreneurship, aimed at supporting women who were interested in starting or developing their own business.

Under the ESF PEIL programme projects are fully funded by the exchequer but 50% of the expenditure may be recouped from the ESF. In addition the funding had set targets for participation between the start of the funding programme up to 2020.

The target for the number of participants under this ESF activity was 2,749.

Projects supported under both funding streams were intended to run for three years, from 2017 to 2020, and the outcomes to date are outlined in the following table:

* Participated refers to people who were active on a project in that year.

As projects report on a quarterly or half yearly basis some figures were updated following compilation of the report and therefore there is an increased figure for 2019. While this didn’t reach the expected target set out in the report it is expected that the overall results will exceed the targets set by the ESF Managing Authority and the EU.

These projects give effect to Actions 1.7 and 1.29 of the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020 which aim to increase access to training opportunities for women and to increase the numbers of women engaged in entrepreneurship. An evaluation of the Strategy is planned on its conclusion.