Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1150. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on the allocation in 2019 to North-South bodies in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45896/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Department's budget allocation for 2019 is €20.498 billion, providing for schemes and services relating to pensions; working age income supports; working age employment supports; illness, disability and carers; children; supplementary payments; as well as pay and non-pay administration.

While there is no specific allocation within my Department's 2019 Budget Estimates for north south bodies, a Cross-Border Partnerships Programme supports cross-border jobseekers, workers and employers in those border regions under the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EASI) which is directly managed by the European Commission. The Partnerships have a targeted remit to provide services to citizens of the border region.

The Partnership addresses the particular obstacles that frontier workers, employers and jobseekers face in the cross border region through the provision of services, including a network of cross-border advisers, matching jobseekers with job vacancies in both jurisdictions, information seminars, labour market monitoring, cross-border mutual learning for public employment services, and cross-border employability training.

The EURES Ireland/ Northern Ireland Cross Border Partnership, established in 1993, is one of nine such partnerships in Europe involving 13 Member States. The Partnership activities are funded through an annual competitive bid process under the EASI Programme.

Approved grant funding at 90% will amount to approximately €224,000 in 2018.