Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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274. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if smaller size funding for local organisations of approximately €50,000 will be available under the new PEACE PLUS funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62272/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The new 2021-27 PEACEPLUS EU cross-border programme, which has been finalised by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), working in close cooperation with my Department and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland, has been informed by extensive public engagement and consultation.

This has included two full scale public consultations held across the programme area for PEACEPLUS of Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland, from December 2019 to February 2020, and again from March to May 2021. A key theme to emerge from this development process has been the importance of ensuring that this vital new €1.1 billion EU programme is made as accessible as possible; particularly for smaller applicants like local community groups.

The PEACEPLUS programme has now been approved by Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the North South Ministerial Council and formally adopted by the European Commission.

The new programme will have a particular focus on grassroots accessibility. PEACEPLUS will feature two new small grants programmes: Theme 1.2 Empowering Communitiesand Theme 6.2 Maintaining and Forging Relationships Between Citizens. These small grants programmes will allow smaller organisations and groups to access the programme with minimum bureaucracy.

Other measures to improve accessibility across the PEACEPLUS programme include pre-development support for potential applicants, which is already being provided by the SEUPB, as well as the simplification where possible of application procedures. These steps will ensure a better experience for applicants, as well as high quality applications.