95. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of jobs created under the Just Transition Fund that are expected to be long term sustainable roles rather than short term project based positions; and the measures in place to ensure employment stability. [66502/26]

96. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will introduce a formal prioritisation policy ensuring that former Bord na Móna workers receive first preference for all employment opportunities arising from Just Transition funding. [66501/26]

101. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the specific number of full time, permanent jobs that have been created under the EU Just Transition Fund in County Offaly and the wider midlands. [66496/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 96 and 101 together.

Just Transition funding aims to ensure that the shift to a climate-neutral economy happens fairly, leaving no workers or communities behind. In developing Just Transition Funding schemes, both the National and EU Just Transition Funds identified the Midlands as a priority Territory to support due to the impact of the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat with a goal of enhancing the region as a place to live, work, study, and invest. Investment from these funds are designed to benefit the whole community in the Midlands Territory.

The National Just Transition Fund (NJTF), established in 2020, supported 56 local and community-led projects by providing over €16 million in total grant assistance to support the transition to a low carbon economy across six categories, including new enterprise hubs, supporting local business development, research and exploratory studies, tourism and heritage projects, and opportunities for reskilling. The NJTF closed in 2024.

In total, 183 direct jobs had been created by NJTF projects upon their completion. The Fund was not designed solely as a job-creation scheme, as it also sought to protect existing jobs through the creation of remote-working and business hubs, and to sustain the social and community wellbeing of affected communities more generally. An Ex-Post evaluation of this fund has been recently published on my Department's website.

The EU Just Transition Fund (JTF) aims to address the employment, economic, social and environmental impacts that come with the shift away from carbon-intense activities.

Ireland’s EU JTF Programme was developed based on the needs identified in its Territorial Just Transition Plan (TJTP). An input consulted in the development of the plan was Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy which identified tourism and bioeconomy as priority investment opportunities in the Territory further noting that “Stakeholder led initiatives can best identify priorities for investments in human capital and the EU JTF will empower the community and social pillars through funding small, medium, and social enterprises.”

Priority 1 has a goal of “generating employment by investing in the diversification of the local economy” and is made of three strategic actions. These are:

• Action 1.1: Supporting the economic diversification of the territory through the development of the regenerative Tourism sector

• Action 1.2: Support the implementation of local and regional economic strategies

• Action 1.3 - Support research, development, and innovation in the bioeconomy sector

As of August 2026, over €98m has been awarded to 164 projects with agreed grant agreements under this Priority and no further awards are anticipated. As the majority of projects are still in their implementation phase, it is not yet possible to determine the total number of jobs created. However, it is anticipated that the investments made into the enterprise infrastructure in the Territory will support the creation of long-term sustainable direct and indirect jobs in the Territory and will support the development of new sectors in the Midlands, particularly in tourism and the bioeconomy.

Further, Action 2.3 of Ireland's Programme is investing €30m into a Trails Network on former industrial peatlands owned by Bord na Móna. The development of this network has involved the redeployment of Bord na Móna staff who were previously involved in the extraction of peat.