Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome that there will be a new strategy for funding, whether through the anti-sectarianism fund or other supports for cross-Border projects. The committee gets representations from many groups seeking funding. We welcome this review and will have an invaluable input into it. Even in assessing funding and the efficiency of funding and especially in light of much of the outreach work we are doing in Northern Ireland, there are concerns about sustainability of projects with a lifespan of two to three years after which the funding runs out and they are left hanging. It is something of which the committee is very conscious. We certainly welcome that a new mechanism for funding will be announced in 2014 and no doubt the members of the committee would like to have an input into that process. While we appreciate the Minister of State has said he will not give feedback on suggestions today, one hopes they will be taken as formal observations.