99. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a full cost breakdown of the Just Transition Programme to date, including administrative costs, consultancy fees, and project delivery costs; and the way in which these costs compare to the number of jobs actually created. [66498/26]

100. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason significant delays continue to occur in the drawdown of approved Just Transition projects; and the impact these delays are having on job creation timelines for affected communities. [66497/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together.

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. In Ireland, the EU JTF is focused on the wider Midlands region which has been impacted by the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat.

The Programme represents a total commitment of €169m to the just transition process in the Midlands designated territory (as approved by the Commission), incorporating €84.5 million of funding from the EU JTF for 2021 – 2027 and matched national co-financing. As per the European Regulation governing the fund, 4%, or approximately €6.76 is reserved for technical assistance and administrative costs associated with the fund.

Since the launch of the Programme in 2023, over €137 million has been awarded to 174 projects.  Technical assistance of €3.6 million has been paid to date.  A final €30 million is due for allocation shortly under the START scheme.

In relation to project delays, beneficiaries have reported recruitment and staff retention, procurement, and protracted planning permission processes as challenges. Acknowledging these challenges, the EU JTF’s Managing Authority, the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly,  along with  Intermediate Bodies have provided extensive training and support to beneficiaries throughout the lifetime of the Fund.

In addition, a range of supportive measures have been adopted including project extensions, adaptive case management, capacity-building supports and flexible funding arrangements to maintain delivery momentum. As the EU JTF Programme is still in delivery phase, it is not possible at this point to fully assess the jobs that have been created by programme.

The National Just Transition Fund, 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 National Just Transition Fund 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. Further information is available in the Ex-Post evaluation of this fund which is available on my Department's website.