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THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is to ask Ireland to return almost €6 million of the cash it gave the Irish government to retrain the staff laid off by Dell in Limerick – because the cash has not been spent.
Ireland was given some €14.83 million under the Commission’s Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which was to be used to retrain some of the 1900 staff who lost their jobs when Dell closed its Limerick facility in 2009.
Under the terms of the fund, member states are required to spend their funding within 18 months of the application being made – and the Commission now says it will ask for just under €6 million to be returned because it hasn’t been spent within that time.
Under the Commission’s current calculations, Ireland has not spent €5,978,311.30 of the funding it was given to retrain the staff, many of whom remain out of work since Dell told staff of their redundancy in January 2009.
The cash has not yet been returned to Brussels because the Commission has not yet issued a debit note explaining how and when Ireland should return that cash.
The details were provided in response to a parliamentary question by Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty, who said he was still receiving complaints from former Dell workers who said they were finding it difficult to access the funding, which was intended to pay for training and education courses.
“It is an absolute disgrace that any money, let alone a figure of such magnitude, should be returned unspent,” Doherty said.
Are the Minister and his officials seriously telling us that the redundant workers did not want this money or did not seek to have it spent to assist their retraining and return to the work force?
Cannon separately said that Ireland had submitted a full report dealing with its spending under a similar fund for Waterford Crystal workers in February, and that a similar report for the staff of S R Technics was to be finished in the coming weeks.
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Jerry Buttimer and John Lyons’ speeches in the Dáil last week were incredibly brave. Fair play to both of them. We’re moving forward.
And to be fair, well done Enda for such a reaction
Yeaaahhh, he’s one helluva guy!!
Haha. Only read the highlighted quote and had to go back and read the rest to put my dirty mind at ease.
Lucinda Creighton coming out as pro-life wasn’t such a touching encounter.
Yet she was one of the only people that lost her job.
Maybe someday we will get to a place where there will be no need for a person to “come out”, no need for raised anxiety or worries about being rejected by family, friends or colleagues. As long as certain Institutes & Institutions use subtle and not so subtle language to infer that relationships between people of the same sex are abhorrent or abnormal and devoid of “real natural love”, it will be some time yet before younger people who are gay can avoid the fear of coming out and the risk of such a burden of fear on their Mental Health.
Despite Enda being a man(notoriously homophobic gender?) from the west of Ireland (notorious homophobic region?) mid 60′s (notorious homophobic age?)
Good for you Buttimer. Nice timing too. But that is purely coincendental, im not a cynical person.
Good night everybody, I’m still mad about ya’s! Let’s go do this!
You are a fake. Where is the real adebayo?
Oh Ina, my sweet Ina. Would the fake Adebayo remember the time I blessed you on the pope thread?
ADEBAAAAAAAAAYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOOW!
And you can’t tax a mans home
He taught me in secordary school on the northside inthe 90s sound man
It’s sad that if he lost his seat he could be actively discriminated against for teaching posts in religious schools due to his sexuality.
I think he is brave to come out and say he is gay because a bloke who worked with me in England did the same and he was hounded out of the job and he was English like them…..Its a cruel world sometimes.
That’s a fair point. I treat him with a level of suspicion resultantly. He was recently listed by The Irish Times as one of 13 TDs most likely to lose their seats in the next election on the one hand. On the other hand as a gay secondary school teacher, he may not have a job to go back to now that he has come out as the RC may not rehire him – and that is scandalous.
above post meant for Norman’s – since deleted post.
Drew Buttimers job is protected, it is open for him when and if he leaves the Dail.As it is for all the other elected TDs who happen to be teachers.
Why your op was deleted I’ve no idea. I saw nothing in ti to justify its removal.
I rewrote it, not sure either.As I said I have no issue with Buttimer’s sexuality.Just curious as to why he made an issue of it after he was elected.
Not gay teachers though. School can legally let him go based on his sexuality if they want.
Drew I maybe wrong but does equality legislation not cover this.
Sorry reply meant for Dave.
No equality legislation doesn’t cover gay teachers in school. He can be let go (and so can John Lyons if he’s not re elected)
Norman he is right, depressing and ridiculous as it may seem
Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act that allows religious employers an exemption from its discrimination rules if it fires or refuses to hire someone in order to uphold its ethos.
Most schools are religion run in Ireland. I believe Educate Together schools don’t use that rule though.
But if he has said he’s gay and it’s a Catholic school they may drop him quietly later.
Thought all teachers were paid by the Dept of Education. So someone somewhere is going to have to bring a case to European Court of Humans Right just to force government to extend protection to LGBT teachers when the state knows it has to at some stage.But will happily waste millions being dragged kicking and screaming to court.
Just to point out that the Iona crowd want to keep that section in the act which discriminates against LGBT teachers.
They are not Homophobes though.
Correct Dave, section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998, allowed continue in Irish law by that exemption to the EU Equality Directive of 2000.
I’ve no great difficulty with a school upholding its ethos, though I’d prefer the severing of the umbilical cord between Church and education altogether. However, when we live in a state with an almost Church monopoly on school patronage, what chance have LGBT teachers to find alternative employment? (And why should they have to anyway)
“Just to point out that the Iona crowd want to keep that section in the act which discriminates against LGBT teachers”
And to me Dave, that’s a far more important point than Panti’s.
Panti made that point Drew. Wasn’t all about relationships
“What it boils down to is if you’re going to argue that gay people need to be treated in any way differently than everybody else or should be in anyway less”
Actually I’m not sure that’s correct Drew, Jerry was a senator for 4 years before he won his Dail seat, which barring an early election will equate to 9 years absence by 2016. I thought 5 years was the max career break- open to corrections.
We had to wait until 8.00pm for a gay story today.
Standards are slipping :(
I would also like to comment but I am currently experiencing oppression under the hand of the JSA. My basic human rights are being compromised
Jobseeker’s Allowance?
those Social welfare guys are EVERYwhere eh?!!?
Touching
If you call a dig into the chest ‘touching’, then it is, but only in the wesht..
I’m happy for both of them.
Hanratty
That reads like a quote lifted straight from Fr Ted….. Even when Inda Kinny is saying the right thing he sounds like an awful tool!
you spelled the Taoiseach’s name like you were saying it in an Australian accent!
That’s a decent skill right there!
I didn’t expect any less from Enda Kenny after he said he wanted to be Taoiseach for everyone in the country, not just Catholics. Not a fan of his by any means, but well done him and great to see TD’s speaking out.
Well done Mr. Buttimer.
Enda is mad about him …. Says it all.
Why did he need to tell Enda he was gay and was coming out? Was he looking for permission?
If you go back and read what’s in the article.. Deputy Buttimer was informing the leader of the party that he wanted to set up an LGBT group within Fine Gael..
Wether Buttimer is gay or not is of no consequence to me, I’m just wondering how come he wasn’t brave enough to come out before he was elected.
Maybe because he thought he wouldn’t get elected because some people would just vote against him based on his sexual preference as opposed to his record and other actual relevant information?
Ah what record are you referring to? I thought he is a first time TD.
So you’re saying he assumes his constituents are a shower of bigots, why would he want to represent them in that case?
Is there elections coming up? Why are they spouting so much shite?
The real injustice is the way in which homosexual people in Ireland are still victimised and maltreated by homophobes.
Same sexual marriage is a small but important step on the way to parity of esteem of gay people.
It’s a huge step Peter. A leap.
However, I think we make the mistake in Ireland of thinking we are somehow backward on LGBT. In the grand scheme of things, internationally, we are to the forefront and one of the most liberal countries. Afaik only 17 countries have gone ahead and legalised. We have a referendum on the cards and somewhere between 70-80% public support. That, imo, puts us to the forefront.
AH.The world and his dog knew jerry was gay for years. When he told End a I’d say GarretFitz was the leader.
Can see it now when he loses his seat he will say its because he’s gay not because he’s a lying fu.k
Notice the first three comments are from women… A bit of a challenge to the “hard” and “real” men out there.
I think Jerry Buttimer should be Taoiseach.
So do I. They could do with a Taoiseach in Dubai.
I think he already has the right to be Taoiseach
I can just see Enda going like Fr Ted in the “Song for Europe episode”…Im mad about you…in a heterosexual way..”
He should have responded to him by saying ” put your money where your mouth is and publicly support equality for all”
That made my day.
But you are not in a minority.
Your feelings are wrong.
You should have a chat with your erroneous feelings.
Effing previous guys comment removed.
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