Jen Cummins
Question:210. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Shared Island unit in his Department. [30360/26]
View answerTuesday, 28 April 2026
Questions (210)
Written answers
Our Programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for Building our Shared Island, backed by our €2 billion commitment to the Shared Island Fund out to 2035.
We are forging ahead with this investment and cooperation agenda across all sectors.
In November, the Government made a funding commitment of over €50 million through the Shared Island Fund to resource ten new island-wide programmes over the next five years, including on media, heritage, emergency management, greenways and air transport.
In December, I and the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment announced six successful projects under the €20 million Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant scheme supporting 6 firms across the island and leveraging over €60m in private sector funding for capital investment for decarbonisation.
In December, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade announced almost €2 million under the 2025 Shared Island Civic Society Fund for sixty-four community-based cross-border cooperation projects.
In January, the Minister for Education and Youth and her Northern Ireland counterpart announced the Shared Island Teachers’ Research Exchange or ‘T-REX’ platform, providing educators with a digital community for professional learning and collaboration.
In February, I and the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment announced over €2.5million for thirteen projects that enhance visitor experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route as part of the Shared Island Tourism Brand project.
Also in February, the Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine and his Northern counterpart launched the Shared Island cross-border cooperation programme on tackling bovine TB on a regional basis.
In March, the Minister for Justice convened a conference in Drogheda, with policing, education and social care representatives from North and South, as part of developing cooperation with Northern Ireland partners on tackling Domestic and Gender-Based Violence.
Also in March, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, announced capital funding of €6.2 million for projects to support the Irish language and Ulster-Scots culture, heritage and language, as part of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative.
Additionally, the Shared Island research programme continues to provide high-quality evidence and analysis. In December, the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance launched a new annual ESRI report series ‘Assessing Economic trends in Ireland and Northern Ireland’. On 2 April, an ESRI Shared Island report was published on ‘Disability rates across the island of Ireland’, the first such analysis.
Through the Shared Island Initiative, the Government is investing in strategic all-island cooperation, developing our partnerships with the Executive and UK Government, and fostering deeper connections and mutual understanding across all communities and traditions of this island.