Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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152. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to set out the status of PEACE IV funding; if it is expected that Brexit will have any implications on PEACE funding and the way it is administered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12322/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has policy responsibility for, and provides funding under, two themes under the PEACE IV Programme. These themes are Shared Spaces and Servicesand Building Positive Relations at Local Level. Progress under these themes, and the roll-out of the programme generally, is proceeding as expected. I anticipate a successful implementation of the PEACE IV Programme and, at this stage, I don’t expect Brexit to impact significantly on the funding or ad ministration arrangements under either theme for which my Department has responsibility.

To this end, arrangements have been agreed between Ireland and the UK, which seek to mitigate the impact of Brexit on programme funding agreements and secure funding arrangements for programme beneficiaries that allow them to plan for the future with confidence. These arrangements have facilitated full implementation of the programmes to proceed on a firmer basis than would have been possible otherwise.

Accordingly, I anticipate a full spend under the programme, with approximately €270 million invested in actions that promote positive relations between people from different communities and backgrounds, across both Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. This investment includes some €9 million and €32 million from Ireland and the UK respectively, with a matching contribution of €229 million from the EU.