Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2410. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount that has been spent from the Leader budget in each of the years from 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; the amount projected to be spent for the remainder of 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35108/18]
View answerTotal expenditure on the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme from 2015 to 20th July 2018 amounted to €22,809,582. The breakdown of this expenditure by year is provided on Table 1 below.
Funding Agreements with the Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver the LEADER programme in each of the 28 LEADER areas were, for the most part, signed in the second half of 2016 and project applications only began to be developed from that date.
Expenditure in 2015 and 2016 relates primarily to the costs incurred by the LAGs in developing the Local Development Strategies on which LEADER activity is based in each area, as well as administration costs of the LAGs.
Expenditure in subsequent years includes the costs of engagement by the LAGs with communities to generate projects, together with expenditure incurred on projects and LAG administration costs.
A total of €40 million has been provided in my Department’s budget for 2018 to support the LEADER programme. This funding includes voted provision of €35 million, and €5 million by way of carry-over of unspent capital funding from 2017.
There has been a significant increase in project approvals by the LAGs in the last twelve months. More than 1,100 projects with a grant value of €35.7 million have now been approved under the programme since it commenced. A further 300 projects with a value of €19.6 million are at an earlier stage in the approvals process. Expenditure on the LEADER programme will increase substantially as these projects are delivered and payments are drawn down.
My Department engages with the LAGs on a regular basis to assess the progress on projects and I will be carefully monitoring the level of spend on the programme over the coming months.
Table 1: LEADER 2014-2020 Expenditure broken down per year:
|
Year |
Programme Expenditure |
|
2015 |
€1,251,185 |
|
2016 |
€1,260,921 |
|
2017 |
€12,123,851 |
|
2018 (to date) |
€8,173,625 |
|
Total |
€22,809,582 |
