Donal Moynihan
Question:22 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the advice he would offer to groups hoping to take part in Leader II.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Leader Programme.
Liz McManus
Question:77 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the projects under the Leader I programme; the number of jobs created in each county; the criteria that will be applied for grants under Leader II; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 77 together.
It would not be practical to recite here the details of every project supported under the Leader programme. As the central feature of the programme is that the decisions on projects to be aided are taken by the Leader groups themselves, complete information on such projects lies with the groups.
The groups have stated that they expect that up to 2,200 jobs in all will be generated by Leader I. The final report of the independent consultants evaluating the programme is due shortly in which I expect the issue of the job-creating impact of Leader will be addressed.
The European Commission published the draft guidelines for Leader II in March but the programme is not expected to be adopted formally until about mid June. In the meantime the Minister of State, Deputy Hyland, will make a public announcement shortly on the manner in which the new programme will be implemented. At that stage, full information and guidance for potential applicant groups will be provided.
Will the Minister guarantee that the consultants' report will be published?
I have not given any consideration to that but I do not see any great difficulty about it. Leader has been very successful in rural areas and has been taken up by many communities. Some projects would not have come to fruition without the Leader programme. We have learnt a great deal from Leader I which will be of great assistance in implementing Leader II.
I agree that the Leader programme has been a very important element in rural development. Will the Minister agree that there must be total transparency in the operation of the programme and that consultants' reports must be open to public scrutiny? The good work will be undermined if there is need for redress in certain areas. Will the Minister take on board my suggestion that consultants' reports should be open to public scrutiny?
I do not see any real difficulty in doing this — I had not given any thought to not making a public announcement. In any event I expect to be in a position to make one very shortly. Under this accompanying measure the Commission will provide more than £1 billion for Leader II. It has not yet indicated the amount to be given to each member state, but we expect to get a substantial amount of funding under Leader II.
The Leader I programme has been extremely successful in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. I am worried about the extension of the Leader programme throughout the country as the funding — it is very substantial — covers a number of years. If the structures already in place in Cavan-Monaghan do not receive funding then the scheme will not be as worthwhile as it has been to date.
Is the Deputy suggesting that Wexford should be left out?
Deputies can expect the Minister of State to confine his announcement to certain parts of the country. We indicated in the Programme for a Partnership Government that Leader II would apply to all rural areas. Very substantial funding is available and the areas which were disappointed at not being included under Leader I should be given every assistance possible under Leader II.
Will the Minister ensure that there is very close liaison between the Leader groups and the county enterprise boards so that community groups can benefit to the maximum extent possible? If Leader II is not introduced with all due haste, the momentum built up in many areas, including Cavan-Monaghan, will not be maintained.
I will take the Deputy's points into account in ensuring that we get the best value for money under Leader II. Projects in some areas did not get off the ground as the local communities, particularly those in isolated rural areas, found it very difficult to raise the matching funding. I ask co-ops, which have a large membership, to consider giving some help in raising local funding which would greatly benefit many rural communities.
What procedures are in the Department for dealing with complaints?
As the House is aware, difficulties arose with one Leader group and, as a result, accounting procedures were tightened up very considerably. The staff within the Department monitor very closely the activities of Leader groups and their accountability while at the same time not imposing too much red tape or bureaucracy. The philosophy behind the Leader programme is that local communities know what is best for their areas, and I intend to apply the same philosophy to Leader II.