Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 June 2016
142. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the European Union funding specifically for North-South projects; the amount of co-funding provided by the Irish State to these projects, in each of the years from 2011 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19010/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraDuring the period 2011 to 2015 North/South projects received EU funding under the PEACE III and INTERREG IVA Programmes. Both Programmes are managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North/South Body co-sponsored by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland.
The objective of the PEACE III Programme was to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland. 215 projects were funded under the Programme, which had a total budget of €333 million.
The objective of the INTERREG IVA Programme was to support strategic cross-border co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable region. 88 projects were funded under the Programme, which covered the border region of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland and had a total budget of €256 million.
Both Programmes received co-funding from a range of Accountable Departments in Ireland and Northern Ireland, while Scotland also co-fund the INTERREG Programme. In the case of PEACE, total Irish match funding was €54 million, while in the case of INTERREG, total Irish match funding was €18 million.
The match funding provided by Ireland for the years 2011-2015 is detailed in the tables.
|
PEACE III |
ERDF (Total) |
Match Funding (IRL) |
|
2011 |
€36,885,396.23 |
€9,022,677.34 |
|
2012 |
€29,284,464.73 |
€7,163,371.26 |
|
2013 |
€35,770,256.47 |
€8,749,880.01 |
|
2014 |
€39,064,436.20 |
€9,555,670.62 |
|
2015 |
€34,001,639.96 |
€7,961,110.97 |
|
TOTAL |
€175,006,193.59 |
€42,452,710.20 |
|
INTERREG IVA |
ERDF (Total) |
Match Funding (IRL) |
|
2011 |
€18,688,913.12 |
€1,986,987.28 |
|
2012 |
€25,421,915.57 |
€2,204,605.34 |
|
2013 |
€32,096,411.69 |
€2,541,160.62 |
|
2014 |
€40,626,782.00 |
€3,252,142.68 |
|
2015 |
€35,479,642.24 |
€2,758,523.44 |
|
TOTAL |
€152,313,664.62 |
€12,743,419.36 |
I am pleased that the Irish Government was able to secure the approval of the European Council for €150 million of EU funding towards a new cross-border PEACE Programme for the period 2014-2020, and that the UK Government subsequently decided to allocate an additional €50 million from its European Regional Development Fund allocation to the Programme, bringing the total amount of EU funding to €200 million. Along with match funding from the two Member States, the programme will have a total value of €269 million. The focus of the PEACE IV programme will be on social inclusion and combatting poverty, with investment proposed in a number of areas, including shared education, children and young people, shared spaces and services, and building positive relations at a local level.
The new INTERREG Programme for the same period has a total value, including Member State contributions, of €283 million. The Programme has four key priority areas for investment, namely research and innovation, the environment, sustainable transport, and health.
