Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his presentation. He referred to the expenditure of €3.5 billion through the PEACE and INTERREG programmes over the past number of years. This has been a very welcome investment in the Border communities. The funding has been drawn down by statutory agencies and local community and voluntary groups. In many instances, the funding that became available empowered both urban and rural local communities, in many areas very disadvantaged local communities, which was very welcome. I want to see this continue beyond 2020. As a person with some experience of different aspects of the programmes over the past 20 years, I must say a huge amount of preparatory work goes into preparing applications and getting to the point of drawing down money. The year 2020 is not that far away from the point of view of a community group that wants to put in motion the preparation of an application for a project to draw down funding. We need to get a clear message out now that there will be substantial PEACE and INTERREG programmes post-2020. If not, a huge vacuum would emerge in the Border community because we are all aware of the huge deficits and challenges that will face us due to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.

Regarding Deputy Sherlock's question about Brexit-proofing and the letters of offer to which the Minister referred, the British Exchequer has committed to make good on that funding up to 2020. I sincerely hope it will not come out of the block grant it gives to the Northern Ireland Executive but that it will come from the necessary additional funding.

I listened with interest to Senator Craughwell's comments and I sincerely hope the message he has given us comes to pass. A number of us met members of the Dutch Parliament yesterday. To their credit, they were doing a report for their EU affairs committee and foreign affairs committee and were visiting London, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin. They said clearly to us that the interest in our problems is non-existent in other member states of Europe. Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree with them, judging from the little interaction I have had with other member states. I sincerely hope I am wrong and that Senator Craughwell is right.

Senator Craughwell mentioned Michel Barnier. We are fortunate that he is the main negotiator because over the years, as European Commissioner for Regional Policy and, subsequently, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, and in France as Minister of State for European Affairs and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, he had very significant contact and good relations with successive Irish Governments.

What Senator Craughwell says is in sharp contrast to what Alasdair McDonnell and Mark Durkan told us here two weeks ago. The content of their contributions to the committee was alarming. They spoke about the interest in Ireland in Westminster, Whitehall in particular, and it was very worrying. I wish to put on the record that, judging from some of the coverage I have managed to read up on and listen to in the House of Commons debate during the week, Alasdair McDonnell and Mark Durkan made exceptionally good contributions, hammering home the message of the huge challenges for all our island and the disregard with which the British Government is treating us.

I recognise the challenge that is there but I emphasise again the need to ensure as soon as possible that there will be post-2020 PEACE and INTERREG programmes with substantial funding. Am I correct in thinking that these programmes to date have been funded 85% by the EU, with the remaining 15% being made up by the two member states?