Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion.

Deputy Declan Breathnach and I attended the meeting earlier this week of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, during which alarm bells rang for all of us in respect of the full roll-out of the INTERREG IVA and PEACE IV programmes. As the Minister will be aware, the PEACE and INTERREG programmes were put in place in the mid-1990s following on the success achieved in advancing the peace process.

The funding provided by successive Irish and British Governments and the EU Commission has been particularly important in building communities and bridges between communities. We are very well aware that many business enterprise and social enterprise projects have been funded through the INTERREG and PEACE programmes. As my colleague, Deputy Breathnach, said, a huge amount of preparatory work has already been undertaken by voluntary organisations and local statutory organisations in putting together applications and projects that would meet the criteria to draw down under the new PEACE and INTERREG programmes.

We want a clear assurance from the Government that there is a commitment to the full roll-out of the PEACE IV and INTERREG programmes that were agreed some time ago between the Irish and British Governments and the European Commission. The uncertainty setting in now is creating extreme problems for groups working on bringing applications to finality and groups that have already completed the application process and are awaiting the funding approval to enable them to proceed with projects that are necessary for local communities, which will help to provide employment in many disadvantaged areas and will provide facilities that have not been provided by the statutory authorities in Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland. We need the Minister to give a clear assurance the Government is absolutely committed to the full roll-out of these programmes as agreed a considerable time ago.

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