Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 March 2018
256. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when an additional budget will be allocated to the Leader programme to meet the demand of qualified projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14464/18]
View answerLEADER is a multi-annual programme for the period 2014-2020 which has a total budget of €250 million over the programming period. The programme is administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver funding in accordance with Local Development Strategies that have been agreed for each LEADER sub-regional area.
€220 million of the available funding has already been allocated to the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas throughout the country. The allocation for each sub-regional area is provided for the duration of the programme rather than on an annual basis. This provides greater flexibility to the LAGs in managing their resources. Each LAG is responsible for deciding how their allocation is distributed to LEADER projects over the duration of the programme, based on the objectives in their Local Development Strategies. T
In addition to the €220 million which has been allocated to the LAGs, a further €30 million in funding is available for schemes which will be administered at a national level. These include a specific scheme to fund food projects which will be launched shortly, and funding to support LAGs that come together to jointly deliver a LEADER project.
Funding is available in my Department's Vote to meet the projected expenditure under the LEADER programme on a year-by-year basis.
As of 25 March 2018, 839 projects with a value of €24 million had been approved for LEADER funding by the LAGs, while a further 313 projects requesting over €17 million in funding are at various stages in the approval process. This funding will be drawn down as projects start to incur expenditure and submit payment claims.
I am confident that the funding available in my Department's Vote for 2018 for the LEADER Programme is sufficient to meet the expected draw-downs; however, the position will be kept under review by my Department.
