Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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568. To ask the Minister for Health if funding under the EU INTERREG IVA programme is secure for the work of CAWT in view of the importance of this programme for the delivery of some health services on a cross-Border basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16757/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Health is the Accountable Department for the health theme of the cross border INTERREG V Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programme’s Body (SEUPB). The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has overall responsibility at central level for the INTERREG and PEACE programmes and the SEUPB is an agency under its remit. These cross border Programmes are 85% funded by the EU. I am pleased to note that following intensive discussions by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland, agreement was reached at the end of October 2016 on a safeguard clause that has enabled funding agreements to be put in place and Letters of Offer to issue to programme beneficiaries for both PEACE and INTERREG.

Approximately €47.5m worth of EU INTERREG VA Programme funding has been offered to eight innovative cross-border health and social care initiatives. The funding will be used to reduce health inequalities, transition health services from an institutional to community-based setting and increase efficiencies through increased use of e-health technologies, on both sides of the border.

Match-funding for the projects is provided by the Departments of Health in Ireland and Northern Ireland alongside the Scottish Government.

A number of the successful projects will be led by the Health Service Executive on behalf of the CAWT Partnership; these projects are in the areas of Mental Health, Acute Services, Health and Well-Being and Children’s Services. In addition, CAWT is a partner in a project on Primary Care and Older People which is led by NHS 24 (Scotland).

CAWT has an excellent track record in delivering INTERREG Projects and I am pleased that they have been successful in securing funding for these projects. Implementation of the projects will make a difference to people’s lives and importantly will demonstrate real collaboration in achieving the project aims. These projects are also important in the context of continued North/South co-operation in the health area.