Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the common chapter which formed part of the national development plan for the south of Ireland and the structural funds plan for the north of Ireland still exists; and, if so, the extent to which it is managed and implemented. [38385/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 outlines how the Irish Government has reaffirmed its support for investing in infrastructure to support North South co-operation to help unlock the full potential of the island economy.  In particular, support for the EU PEACE and INTERREG programmes will continue to ensure that funding opportunities are maximised under these programmes. 

In February this year the European Commission formally adopted the new INTERREG Programme for the border counties of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the West of Scotland, and the first calls under the Programme have now been launched. The Programme has a total value, including Member State contributions, of more than €280 million for the period 2014-2020.  The INTERREG programme has four key priority areas for investment, namely research and innovation, the environment, sustainable transport, and health.    

In addition, I am pleased that the Irish Government was able to secure the approval of the European Council for €150 million of EU funding towards a new cross-border PEACE Programme for the same period, and that the UK Government subsequently decided to allocate an additional €50 million of ERDF funding from its European Territorial Cooperation allocation to the Programme, bringing the total amount of EU funding to €200 million.  Along with match funding from the two Member States, the programme will have a total value of almost €270 million.   The focus of the PEACE IV programme will be on social inclusion and combating poverty,  with investment proposed in a number of areas, including shared education, children and young people, shares spaces and services, and building positive relations at a local level.  I look forward to the new Programme being adopted by the Commission before the end of the year.

Together the two programmes represent more than half a billion Euro of investment in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland over the next seven years.  The programmes are managed on behalf of the two Member States by the Special EU Programmes Body, operating under the aegis of the North South Ministerial Council and the Monitoring Committees established under the relevant EU legislation.