Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 1

Written Answers. - Peace and Reconciliation Fund.

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

59 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Finance whether the Steering Committee for the European Fund for Peace and Reconciliation will make public its deliberations from its meeting of 27 June 1996, in Derry, in relation to the projects that are being funded under the EU Initiative in Border counties. [14534/96]

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

60 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Finance the members of the Steering Committee for the European Fund for Peace and Reconciliation; and the regularity with which this steering committee meets. [14535/96]

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 60 together.

The Deputy is referring to the joint monitoring committee for the Special EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland.

Chapter 7 of the programme requires that responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the programme is invested in a monitoring committee. The committee consists of representatives of both Governments, the European Commission, the EIB, local authorities, business, trade unions, community-voluntary groups and the joint chairpersons of the consultative forum.

The first meeting of the monitoring committee was held on 28 February last. The programme requires that the committee meet not less than twice a year at times and places of its choosing. The meeting held on 27 June 1996 was a special one convened to deal with the specific issues of the mid-term review of the programme. I attach, for the Deputy's information, the report of the meeting issued by the committee.

The next formal meeting of the committee will be held on 7 November 1996. This meeting will cover, in far greater detail, reports of progress under the programme to date.

The full list of members of the committee also follows. The Deputy will appreciate that the names of the members will be subject to change from time to time.

EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation — Special Meeting of the Monitoring Committee.

A special meeting of the Monitoring Committee for the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland was held on 27 June 1996 in the Guildhall, Derry to consider the evaluation of the Programme. The Committee, which oversees the Programme, is made up of officials from Northern Ireland, Ireland and the European Commission, as well as local members from a range of sectoral interests.

The Monitoring Committee meeting also heard the first report from the newly established Consultative Forum which met for the first time on the previous day. The purpose of the Forum, which consists of 60 Northern Ireland members and 20 members from the Border counties is to provide a mechanism for continuing consultation over the life of the Programme. The Committee welcomed the representation from the forum as a means of obtaining up-todate views from a range of local bodies about the Programme and its progress.

The special Committee meeting considered a range of technical issues in relation to the evaluation of the Programme. It also heard that all the implementing authorities involved in the Programme were now in a position to consider projects with a view to accelerating expenditure. A number of projects from a range of sectoral areas including economic growth, community groups, food, fishery and agriculture have now been formally approved.

Northern Ireland
Joint Chairperson:
Department of Finance and Personnel	Mr. J. Layberry
Local Interest Members:
Business	Mr. E. Kidney
Community Groups	Mrs. C. Dickson
Local Authorities	Mr. J. Keanie
	Mr. R. Gilmore
Trade Unions	Ms I. McCormack
Ulster Farmers' Union/NI Agricultural Producers' Association	Mr. A. MacLaughlin
Voluntary Organisations	Ms B. Hinds
Central Government Members:
Programme Leader (DFP)	Miss L. Wilson
Central Secretariat	Ms L. Devlin
Department of Agriculture	Mr. W. Shannon
Department of Economic Development	Mr. W. Hamilton
Department of Education	Mr. G. McKeown
Department of the Environment	Mr. T. McCusker
Department of the Environment (with responsibility for NIPB)	Mr. P. Sweeney
Department of Finance and Personnel	Ms S. Corbett
Department of Health and Social Services	Mr. D. Harley
Northern Ireland Office	Mr. R. Buchanan
Training and Employment Agency	Mr. B. Gamble
Other:
Joint Chairperson of Consultative Forum	To be nominated by Forum
Intermediary Fund Body	Alternating
Border Counties
Joint Chairperson:
Department of Finance	Mr. P. Ó Duibhir
Local Interest Members:
Business	Mr. Simon Nugent
Border Regional Authority	Mr. P. Trainor
Community and Voluntary Sector	Ms Moya O'Leary
IBEC	Mr. J. Kenna
Irish Farmers' Association	Mr. C. Lucey
Trade Unions	Mr. P. Flynn
Government Members:
Programme Leader (Dept. of Finance)	Mr. S. O'Sullivan
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry	Ms S. O'Broin
Department of Education	Mr. P. Dowling
Department of Enterprise and Employment*	Ms M. English — Enterprise
	Mr. S. O'Flaherty — Employment
Department of the Environment	Ms M. Coughlan
Department of Foreign Affairs	Mairtin Ó Fainnin
Department of Social Welfare	Mr. D. O'Briain
Department of the Taoiseach	Mr. D. McCarthy
Department of Tourism and Trade*	Ms P. Moreau — Tourism
	Mr. D. O'Rafferty — Trade
Department of Transport, Energy and Communications	Mr. L. Duggan
Other:
Joint Chairperson of Consultative Forum	To be nominated by Forum
Intermediary Funding Body	Alternately ADM/Combat Poverty

* These will alternate, as required.

European Commission
Mr. E. Poulsen	DGXVI
Mr. E. Hartog	DGXVI
Mr. M. McSwiney	DGXVI
Mr. C. Wolfe	DGV
Mr. B. Huber	DGVI
Mr. E. Mastracchio	DGXIV
Mr. P. Zangl	DGV
Mr. J. Lougheed	DGVI
Mr. H. McNally	DGXIV