Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 39: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the grant awarded to an organisation (details supplied) in County Antrim to continue its work of reconciling Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland which it has undertaken since the 1960s; and if, in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, the payment will continue. [29006/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department, through the Reconciliation and Anti-Sectarianism Funds, has supported the Corrymeela Community for a number of years in its aims to provide a safe environment for people to build new relationships through dialogue and encounter and to foster reconciliation between all people in Northern Ireland. Corrymeela Community was awarded a grant of €150,000 in 2009 (three equal annual instalments of €50,000 for 2009, 2010 and 2011) to allow the organisation to provide residential workshop facilities to community groups and to further reconciliation through its Creating Communities Programme, which targets young people and families. The programme is designed to combat sectarianism and residentials and activities are offered for families and young people. While it is open to Corrymeela Community to apply for funding in future years, it is not possible at this stage to indicate whether or not a future application would be successful.