Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 July 2008
426 Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount of money his Department has provided to rural development and LEADER programmes; the way this money has been allocated and spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28428/08]
View answerTotal funding of almost €170m has been invested in rural development under the LEADER Programmes 2000-06. This funding was allocated to 38 Local Action Groups contracted to deliver the Programmes following a selection process completed prior to the roll out of the Programmes.
In accordance with the LEADER bottom-up approach to rural development, each Local Action Group is the decision-making authority in relation to approving and funding actions falling within its business plan. Activities can be approved for funding by the Board of each Local Action Group on the basis of EU Regulatory requirements and within detailed operating rules governing the implementation of the Programmes.
The Deputy may also be aware that I launched the LEADER elements (Axes 3 & 4) of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 on 20th May 2008. The Programme will provide €425 million to improve the quality of life in rural areas and facilitate the diversification of the rural economy. Consistent with the 2000-06 programming round, the Programme will be delivered by Local Action Groups through the LEADER bottom-up approach. The process for selecting Local Action Groups commenced on 20th May. The selection process will run over the coming months and will culminate in the selection of Groups and allocation of funding on the basis of recommendations from independent evaluators appointed to facilitate the selection process. The final allocations will be subject to Government approval.
I expect the Programme to be open to applications for grant assistance in late October 2008 when the process for selecting the Local Action Groups to deliver the Programme has been completed.
