Vol. 475 No. 1
257 Mr. Bree asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he has satisfied himself with the number of new jobs being created in Sligo and Leitrim with the assistance of the Leader company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4271/97]
The Leader groups in counties Sligo and Leitrim have reported that 44 new full-time and 49 new part-time and seasonal jobs have been created to date under the Leader programme. These figures are in addition to jobs which were retained in the area as a result of Leader support.
The Leader programme promotes the bottom up involvement of local communities in the development of their areas. The emphasis under the programme is on a broad developmental process at community level of which job creation forms a part. Given that the Leader II programme has been operating in these areas for just over a year and has almost three years to run, I am satisfied with the number of new jobs created to date.
