Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Programme C deals with matters related to Northern Ireland and funding for projects which bolster peace and reconciliation on the island. To this end, I approved funding of €1.5 million last month for 77 organisations through the reconciliation fund. This will be used to work at grassroots level with local communities to advance the work of overcoming division and disharmony. There will be a second round of funding after September with funds being disbursed by year-end.

Overall, our contacts with the British Government remain good with 13 visits to London by myself, the Taoiseach and Ministers so far this year. In the North, we continue to develop a collaborative network with political parties, the Northern Ireland Executive, civil society and academia.