Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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121. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 81 of 4 October 2022, the status of Ireland’s partnership agreement for cohesion funding for the period 2021 to 2027; the timeline for the publication of the agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56396/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Partnership Agreement sets out Ireland’s investment strategy for its Cohesion Policy Funds. Ireland will receive €1.4 billion in Cohesion Policy funding for the 2021 to 2027 period. When this funding is co-financed at a national level and taking account of the funding for the PEACE PLUS Programme, it will mean Cohesion Policy programmes add a total value of almost €3.5 billion to the economy. Using these funds, implementation of the Partnership Agreement will strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion and further reduce disparities between different regions, including in the Northern and Western region.

Following two years of negotiation and development of the Partnership Agreement led by my Department, the European Commission adopted it on the 16^thof September. I launched the Partnership Agreement with the Commissioner for Regional Affairs, Elisa Ferreira on the 20^thof September in Dublin. The Commissioner was in Ireland in September as part of a two day visit to see European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund projects and engage with project participants.

When I sought Government approval to submit the Partnership Agreement for formal negotiations with the European Commission in July, I undertook to return to Government with the final text of the Partnership Agreement. I secured Government approval of the final Partnership Agreement on the 9th of November. Following this meeting, I published the Partnership Agreement on my Department's website last week.