A report on a fund designed to help the Midlands recover from the closure of peat-fired power stations found just one-sixth of the hoped-for jobs materialised.
Projects supported by the National Just Transition Fund (NJTF) had been expected to create up to 1,094 full and part-time jobs. However, just 183 posts resulted.
An analysis said it was also hoped the programme could lead to as many as 1,600 indirect jobs.
In this area, the project worked better but it was still well short of estimates with 956 full or part-time roles created.
The report by Indecon said the NJTF had a positive impact on the Midlands in terms of community resilience, training supports, environmental sustainability, tourism infrastructure and small business growth.
However, it said, “some issues are likely to exist around the long-term sustainable impact of the Fund.”
The report explained that “limited employment impacts” were evident and that the jobs that were created came at a “relatively high cost.”
It said: “There appears to be a disconnect between the overall strategic objective of the Fund and the KPIs [key performance indicators] used to measure its impact and contribution which were largely focused on employment impacts.
“A significant number of projects were not completed as per the original application.”
The report was published by the Department of Climate, Energy, and the Environment after a formal request for it was made under FOI.
The NJTF was administered through the Department with 56 projects chosen for funding after a competitive process.
It was intended to help Midland counties recover from the loss of employment caused by power plant closures in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge and the resulting fall in peat production.
The Government allocated €22.2 million, of which around €16 million was drawn down.
The report said: “The level of funding drawdown by the size of the project shows that the 11 largest projects that were awarded NJTF funding were only able to draw down 55% of the funding that had been awarded to them.
“Typically, smaller projects were able to draw down much higher percentages of their initial award.”
The analysis said if judged only as an employment measure, the scheme would be considered expensive compared to other schemes.
It said this worked out at “total cost per full-time equivalent direct employment of €106,726 and a total cost per full-time equivalent direct and indirect employment of €17,658.”
It said the NJTF had a wider role though in investing in sustainable businesses, getting new projects started, and providing opportunities for things like remote work.
“However, it is clear that the Fund did not deliver as initially set out in the project applications in terms of employment supported,” it concluded.
As part of the research, the authors contacted project organisers with 39 percent of those who responded saying they would continue in some form.
However, the report concluded: “The majority of projects that responded to Indecon’s survey of beneficiaries indicated that they do not plan to continue with their projects through their funds, ongoing support and other public funding.”