Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. Both of their organisations are important, particularly in the Border region. I compliment Ms Ruth Taillon, who is not here, and her predecessor, Andy Pollack, on what he has done in looking at issues right along the Border. I will not focus today on the issue of a hard or soft border but on the financial implications and employment issues centring on the funding sources.

My questions on the finances are centred on the various funding that Dr. Soares referred to, whether INTERREG or PEACE funding, and the fact that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is already putting break clauses into letters of offer to communities being funded. They do not know where they will stand after the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget and in terms of their requirement for funding, they fear the money will not be coming. Will the witnesses comment on that?

On employment, I will not focus on the impact of trade and all the associated issues. Has a study has been done by the Centre for Cross Border Studies or otherwise on the number of jobs that will be lost in the communities if this funding is not kept in place? I could give the example of an organisation in Newry that is almost totally dependent on funding. If one of the funding streams does not continue, those jobs will go. I can see that right across my community in north Louth and into south Armagh but I am sure it is a situation that exists right across the 370-odd mile Border that Mr. Sheridan referred to.

We need to present figures to show what the impact of jobs losses will be for community workers and the various agencies that receive funding through the local authorities and otherwise and also to show how many of these job losses will not be trade related.