Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
762. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to review the allocation of funding between counties under the new Leader programme, in view of the fact that larger counties with very dispersed populations and high rurality indexes will receive much less funding, per capita, compared to small counties with much smaller rural populations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13944/15]
View answerIreland is reconfiguring the way in which local and rural development interventions are implemented. This is in line with Government policy to ensure that local government is well positioned to support the effective and efficient delivery of local and rural development. In this context , €220 million of the overall Leader programme complement for the 2014-2020 period has been allocated based on administrative or county boundaries to 28 sub-regional areas. In determining the county allocations, three objective criteria were used, namely, minimum allocation, population density and a Resource Allocation Model (RAM). Each county was given a minimum allocation of €3 million to ensure that each received a viable allocation. However, Cork County was allocated €6 million as a minimum in order to ensure a viable allocation to each of the three administrative districts within the county, as the overall population outside of the city is almost twice that of any other county. The methodology used to calculate the allocations was designed to ensure that the available funding was weighted towards the most rural populations and those experiencing most rural disadvantage. Using this methodology, which I am satisfied is fair and consistent, each county was allocated a proportionate share of the funding available through the Leader elements of the RDP.
While the allocation for the Leader element of the 2014-2020 Programme is less than the value of the Leader element of 2007 – 2013 programme, I am confident that within the confines of the fiscal environment we have experienced in the recent past, the Government has allocated the maximum amount possible to support the Leader elements of the 2014-2020 programme. The Government’s drive to increase coordination at a local level and the commitment to the delivery of the recommendations in the CEDRA report, will ensure that the impact of the funding, while decreased, will be maximised to support the sustainable development of our rural communities. In this context, I have no plans to review the funding allocations.
