An extra 100 million ecus (about £79 million) in funding for Border counties and the North has been announced by the Minister for Finance. The funding for counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Donegal, and for Northern Ireland, brings the total spending under the Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation to £425 million since it was introduced.
It is estimated that the programme has been responsible for the creation of 33 new businesses, 1,500 new jobs and for safeguarding another 700 jobs.
