asked the Minister for Labour if he will indicate the terms on which this country can expect to obtain aids and grants from the European Social Fund for retraining redundant workers.

27.

asked the Minister for Labour if this country will be able to draw at will upon the EEC Social Fund on entry to the Community, in view of the fact that only projects approved by the Community will obtain such assistance.

28.

asked the Minister for Labour whether all workers made redundant in the Irish textile industry will be eligible for retraining grants from the EEC Social Fund; or whether only a minority of workers will be approved for retraining schemes in accordance with Community principles.

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 26 to 28 inclusive together.

Ireland will be eligible for assistance from the European Social Fund as from the date of accession. It will be necessary for this country, as for each other member country, to make applications for assistance from the fund. The extent to which we can benefit from the fund will depend on the extent to which we have projects which conform to the regulations governing the operation of the fund.

In general, schemes in respect of which assistance is applied for will have to form part of an overall plan related to a region, a branch of economic activity or a group of undertakings operating within the same field. In general also, assistance will amount to 50 per cent of public expenditure on training, retraining and resettlement. There are special provisions in the case of schemes for the rehabilitation of handicapped workers.

The Council of Ministers of the EEC have recently taken a decision, in principle, on what they call "priority interventions" of the Social Fund in the area of textiles. The relevant documents, when available in final form, will show how these priority interventions will operate.

In the meantime I shall obtain from Brussels as much advance information as possible but I must emphasise that only the final decision of the Council will provide full clarification.

The Minister said that 50 per cent comes from the fund. Is the other 50 per cent, the balance, provided by the member country, by the industry or by AnCO?

I am not sure, but I think this is probably irrelevant from the point of view of Brussels. In general, it would come from the Exchequer of the member country.

Fifty per cent from Brussels and 50 per cent from the Exchequer of the member country.

That would be the general idea.

Having regard to the disastrous effects of the adverse report on the textile industry, could I ask the Minister whether he is preparing a special submission in relation to the redundant workers in the textile industry so that they may benefit from this fund?

Yes.

What is the amount of the fund?

Of the European Social Fund?

Yes.

I do not think I have the figure here.

Ask the Foreign Minister there beside you.

I do not have the figure here, but it is substantial.

All right, but these promises are pie-in-the-sky, are they not?

No, they are not.

I think they are.