Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the new PEACE programme will be operational; the funding allocated to this programme; the financial contribution by the European Union, by the Irish Government and by the British Government.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21581/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Government was successful in securing €150 million of EU funding (constant prices) towards a new cross-border PEACE Programme for the period 2014-2020. The UK Government subsequently decided to allocate an additional €50 million to the Programme from its overall allocation under the European Regional Development Fund. The Programme was formally adopted by the Commission on 30 November 2015 and was launched in Belfast on 22 January 2016. 

The PEACE Programme has a total value of €270 million, with 85% being recouped from the European Regional Development Fund and the balance funded by the two Member States:

Calls for applications have opened for four elements of the Programme in the areas of Shared Education, Building Positive Relations, Local Authority Actions Plans, and Shared Spaces and the assessment of proposed projects is underway. Further project calls are planned for 2016 and 2017.