A DELEGATION from the European Parliament Committee on Employment has been told there are strong concerns that millions of euro earmarked to assist former Dell workers who were made redundant last year may not be spent by next year’s deadline.
Committee members met representatives of the Dell Redundant Workers Association in Limerick yesterday.
The committee members were told that State agencies here were not releasing money quickly enough due to excessive red tape and bureaucracy. The money is allocated through the European Globalisation Fund.
“To date there is only about €2 million spent; you still have €21 million to get through so whether or not things proceed faster now is all down to each individual department and their procedures,” said Denis Ryan of the Dell Redundant Workers’ Association.
“I have said it at every meeting – if they came into this steering group committee and left their procedures outside the door the fund would run very smoothly,” he added.
The chairperson of the delegation, French MEP Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, told the workers representatives she is determined to ensure that all of the money allocated through the globalisation fund will be spent.
“We are here for the interests of workers so we really don’t want to get money back. This would be our own failure.
“The function of the fund should be in the interests of workers and it is important that Ireland and the Irish people receive this fund,” she said.
Ireland West MEP Marian Harkin, who is a member of the committee, said she was shocked at the delays in distributing the money.
“Workers here very clearly articulated the fact that their needs have not been met,” Ms Harkin said.
“The structures that are in place, that are already there within the State agencies, are not able to respond sufficiently to the flexibility that’s in the globalisation fund and that’s the problem and that needs to be sorted.”
Ireland South MEP Alan Kelly said the situation must improve quickly to ensure all of the money was spent on time.
“This fund and how it is being managed has to be improved and the Irish Government really needs to put in place the structures to make sure that the fund is going to be spent because there is only one year left to go,” he said.
“I am very confident that we will have a positive reaction from the committee to push the Government to finally finally get its act together.”
The committee on employment is due to report back to the European Parliament by the end of next month.