Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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284. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total funding allocated for the INTERREG programme; the breakdown of the funding allocated by the EU and the Irish and British Governments; if all this funding is secure following the referendum on British membership of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40942/16]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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285. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total funding allocated for the PEACE IV programme; the breakdown of funding allocated by the EU and the Irish and British Governments; if all this funding is secure following the referendum on British membership of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40943/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 284 and 285 together.

The PEACE IV and INTERREG IVA Programmes are co-funded by the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the European Commission through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The breakdown of funding for the two programmes is as follows:

The outcome of the UK Referendum on EU membership obviously has implications for two programmes that are 85% funded by the EU. But the Irish Government has been clear about its commitment to the successful implementation of the programmes and its ambition to see successor programmes post-2020.

As part of the Government's contingency planning for Brexit, my Department identified the implications for the two programmes as an issue that would have to be addressed in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Executive and the European Commission, and that process commenced immediately following the referendum result.

On 27 October 2016 I was pleased to be able to announce that agreement had been reached between my officials and their Northern Ireland counterparts on the terms of Letters of Offer to programme beneficiaries. My objective was to Brexit-proof Letters of Offer to the greatest extent possible and to give programme beneficiaries assurance as to the legal and financial commitments they are entering into so they can plan for the future with confidence. I believe that we have achieved that, and that it will be possible to proceed with the full implementation of the programmes on a firmer basis than would otherwise have been the case.

My objective now is to see the current programmes implemented fully and to secure agreement from the EU and the UK for successor programmes post-2020.