Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also support the call for a debate on global terrorism, as requested initially by Senator Ó Murchú and supported by Senator Cullinane and others. The appalling situation that is developing worldwide has to be a cause of great concern to us all, particularly the situation in Syria. In the four years since the commencement of the civil war there, 250,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced, with no sign of the situation abating.

International peace talks on Syria commenced in Vienna in October and are due to recommence in January. They are being led by a Syria support group. Renewed urgency needs to be given to those peace talks. I find it difficult to see how progress can be made while the Assad regime, with the support of Russia, continues to barrel bomb innocent civilians every day.

As Senator Ó Murchú said, it is a time for international statesmen to step forward and take this situation in hand. They must try to resolve it so that innocent people - who are arriving in Europe, having been forced out of their homeland - can start to return to some sort of normality. I know it will be a major problem but it must be addressed.

I welcome the formal adoption by the European Commission in Brussels of a peace programme for Northern Ireland and the southern Border counties. This programme will bring €270 million of Structural Funds for EU-funded cross-Border activity. Successive programmes have made an enormous contribution to developing the peace process, as well as building bridges and reconciling people in Northern Ireland and the southern Border counties, since the first programme was launched in 1995.

The total value of the programme, including Irish and UK matching funds, will be in the region of €270 million. The programme will focus on four key priorities: shared education, children and young people, shared spaces and services, and building positive relations at local level. This is very much to be welcomed and I hope significant progress in building closer relationships and friendships between the two communities North and South of the Border will result following this investment. Much-needed economic benefits will also flow from this funding. I applaud everybody involved in ensuring this large amount of funding is available for the peace programme 2015.