Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 October 2019
196. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding allocated for the LEADER programme in 2019; the expenditure to date; the projected expenditure by year end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43834/19]
View answerLEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020. €225 million of this budget is allocated to Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. This allocation includes €5 million in additional funding which I have allocated to the top 10 performing LAGs this week. The funding is provided for the duration of the programme, rather than on an annual basis, to provide greater flexibility to the LAGs.
The balance of €25 million in the programme is provided for thematic projects which are approved at national level.
As of 21st October 2019, the total amount of LEADER funding which had been expended since the commencement of the programme was in excess of €69.5 million, of which €31.9 million has been spent in 2019 alone. The costs include expenditure incurred by the LAGs to develop their Local Development Strategies, the administration costs of the LAGs, the costs of their engagement with communities to generate projects, as well as expenditure on projects themselves.
The level of project activity under the programme has increased significantly since the start of 2018 and over 2,400 core projects have now been approved for funding of over €91.8 million. A further 310 project applications, requesting approximately €26.4 million in funding, are at various stages in the approval process. Project expenditure will increase significantly as these projects are implemented and payments are drawn down.
The figures provided clearly illustrate the positive momentum at this stage of the LEADER programme and total expenditure is expected to be in excess of €75 million by the end of this year.
