Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As pointed out by my colleague Deputy Cullinane, capital expenditure in this country is at an historic low, which the Taoiseach pointed out to Mr. Juncker. We are coming from a base that is way out of kilter with the European average. Even with the additional capital expenditure, capital investment by Ireland is among the lowest in Europe. The Government might get away with that if it was for only one year, but ten years of reduced capital expenditure is not acceptable. There is a big issue in this regard in terms of Brexit. The North-South plan, under the heading "Capital plan", states:

The Irish Government reaffirms its support for the EU PEACE and INTERREG programmes....It will continue to work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that funding opportunities are maximised under the EU programmes. Almost half a billion euro will be available from EU sources during the period 2016 to 2021.

As stated, €500 million of EU funding is available. The model of capital investment is based on co-funding. We are speaking in this regard of cross-Border EU funding. As somebody who has to cross the Border twice in my travels to and from the House, I want to know the types of project that are at risk as a result of Brexit. I also want to know that the Department has in place a contingency plan to fund those projects. Will the Minister provide a list of the projects that may now be doubtful as a result of the possibility of being unable to draw down the €500 million in funding from the EU?

See this speech in context