Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the expenditure on the peace and reconciliation fund; the estimated full year cost of increasing expenditure by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15086/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Reconciliation Fund has been in operation since 1982 and awards grants to organisations working to build better relations within and between traditions in Northern Ireland, between North and South, and between Ireland and Britain.

The annual budget for the Fund was €2.7 million in 2018. In May 2018, on the 20th Anniversary of the referendums on the Good Friday Agreement, I announced that it would be increased to €3.7 million from 2019 onwards, reflecting the Government's unwavering commitment to the Agreement and to supporting the vital work of reconciliation being carried out by civil society and groups in Northern Ireland and across this island.  This additional €1 million in funding represented an increase of 37%.

If the budget were further increased by the percentages indicated by the Deputy, the additional cost would amount to:  

Any further increases in the budget for the Reconciliation Fund would also need to take account of the level of staffing resources required to ensure the continued effective operation of the Fund.

More information on the Reconciliation Fund and lists of grants issued previously are available on my Department’s website at: .