Thomas Gould
Question:58. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Shared Island unit in his Department. [31072/26]
View answerTuesday, 19 May 2026
Questions (58, 59)
Jen Cummins
Question:59. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Shared Island unit in his Department. [32605/26]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together.
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.
Also in December, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade announced €2 million under the 2025 Shared Island Civic Society Fund for sixty-four community-based cross-border cooperation projects and a further call for applications opened in April.
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; and in April, the Education Ministers announced expansion of the Shared Island Creative Connections Programme to additional schools.
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, in 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 Shared Island projects to support the Irish language and Ulster-Scots culture, heritage and language.
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.
The Shared Island Initiative Report 2025 - Action on a Shared Future was published on 7 May and is available to download at: www.gov.ie/sharedisland.
Questions Nos. 60 to 75, inclusive, resubmitted.