Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2014
140. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a scheme is in place to provide grant aid to a community development project that wishes to acquire or purchase land or buildings to develop local or community enterprise; if so, the criteria for such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14610/14]
View answerThe purchase of land/buildings is eligible under the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 providing the cost does not exceed 10% of the total eligible expenditure of the project concerned. In line with the ‘bottom-up’ approach to rural development, there are 35 Local Action Groups (LAGs) contracted, on my Department’s behalf, to deliver the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) throughout the country. The LAGs are the principal decision-makers in relation to the allocation of project funding. While the current programme is fully allocated, I anticipate the commencement of the LEADER element of the new 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme during 2015.
