Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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116. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will report on the progress of the €1.1 billion PEACEPLUS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27875/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The PEACEPLUS programme has a total value of €1.1 billion and is funding projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland until 2029. PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the Irish Government, the European Commission, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

My Department has Member State responsibility for PEACEPLUS, working with the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland, and is joint sponsor for the Special EU Programmes Body, which manages the PEACEPLUS programme.

PEACEPLUS builds on the work of previous North South PEACE and INTERREG programmes, and was developed between 2019 and 2022, informed by two rounds of public consultation.

Programme rollout is progressing well, with most investment areas over-subscribed. As at 23 May 2025, 98 projects have been awarded PEACEPLUS funding to the value of €915 million, representing around 86% of the total programme value.

PEACEPLUS is funding regional development projects across a diverse range of investment areas, including skills, education, transport, and socio-economic regeneration. This funding will benefit people right across the programme area.

I would like to draw your attention to the Changemaker Grants element of PEACEPLUS. These small grants are geared towards smaller community organisations to support the delivery of people-to-people projects. A rolling call is now open for grants between €10,000 and €20,000. Calls for grants of up to €100,000 will open on a phased basis over the duration of the programme period and are anticipated to amount over 10% or almost the full remaining value of the programme. Further information is available on the SEUPB website.