Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013
466. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of the administrators of the fishery local action groups in County Kerry; the amount spent in County Kerry to date; what has been achieved from this spending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44766/13]
View answerThe Fisheries Local Area Development Scheme is a community led local development initiative administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara as part of the Seafood Development Programme 2007-2013. The Scheme aims to support the diversification of the economies of traditional fishing communities to help maintain people and jobs in these areas. The Scheme is co-funded by the Exchequer and the European Fisheries Fund.
Six Fisheries Local Action Groups covering the entirety of the Irish coastline have been established as part of the Scheme. The South-West FLAG covers the coastal zone of counties Cork and Kerry, extending from Youghal to the coastal border of Kerry and Limerick, just west of Foynes and extending 10 km inland from the coastline.
The South-West FLAG was established on 14 March 2013. It is governed by a board comprised of seafood industry, community and relevant state actors. Its Local Development Strategy was adopted on 31 July 2013 and a first call for projects published on 9 September 2013. Applications were assessed by the board, which made grant offers of approximately €17,500 to three projects, two of which are being implemented in County Kerry. These two projects supported capital investment by a seaweed processing company and a tourism related rowing venture.
Total Expenditure to date for the South-West FLAG is approximately €40,000 which included one-off establishment costs such as the Local Development Strategy.
