Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the European Union funding specifically for North-South projects; the amount of co-funding provided by the Irish State to these projects, in each of the years from 2011 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19010/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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During the period 2011 to 2015 North/South projects received EU funding under the PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes. Both Programmes are managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North/South Body co-sponsored by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland.

The objective of the PEACE III Programme was to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland. 215 projects were funded under the Programme, which had a total budget of €333 million.

The objective of the INTERREG IVA Programme was to support strategic cross-border co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable region. 88 projects were funded under the Programme, which covered the border region of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland and had a total budget of €256 million.

Both Programmes received co-funding from a range of Accountable Departments in Ireland and Northern Ireland, while Scotland also co-fund the INTERREG Programme. In the case of PEACE, total Irish match funding was €54 million, while in the case of INTERREG, total Irish match funding was €18 million.

The match funding provided by Ireland for the years 2011-2015 is detailed in the tables.

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 period 2014-2020, and that the UK Government subsequently decided to allocate an additional €50 million from its European Regional Development Fund 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 €269 million. The focus of the PEACE IV programme will be on social inclusion and combatting poverty, with investment proposed in a number of areas, including shared education, children and young people, shared spaces and services, and building positive relations at a local level. 

The new INTERREG Programme for the same period has a total value, including Member State contributions, of €283 million. The Programme has four key priority areas for investment, namely research and innovation, the environment, sustainable transport, and health.