Minister of State Alan Kelly has said that he understands that up to €10m of funding that formed part of a €22.8m European Globalisation Fund for former Dell workers is unspent.
The deadline for applications for the fund has passed last week.
Kelly blamed the previous Government's lack of communication with Europe as the reason for the under-spend.
On whether the current Government can seek an extension to the deadline Mr Kelly said that the terms of the EGF are rigid in that it could not be extended.
The Department of Education said today that the exact figure on the under-spend will not be known until the end of the year.
A spokesperson for the Dell Redundant Workers' Association said that it was very disappointing that €10m of a fund provided for unemployed workers would now be sent back to Europe.
The association is asking that any portion of unspent funding from the Irish Government that makes up the fund still be provided.
He added that up to 1,000 workers could not avail of the EGF funding because they were not included in the original submission by the previous government.
