Agriculture Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 December 2021

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Questions (761)

Alan Dillon

Question:

761. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of CAP funding for Leader; if consideration is being given to increasing the budget for the Leader Programme 2023-2027; the efforts being undertaken to drive bottom-up community-led investment to create and sustain employment in rural Ireland as per the high-level ambitions of Leader 2023-2027 outlined in the draft CAP strategic plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61154/21]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The LEADER Programme is a key rural development tool for supporting the economic and social development of rural communities, by providing the resources necessary for communities to support their own development and create capacity at local level. The budget allocation for LEADER under the previous Rural Development Programme (RDP) for the seven-year period 2014-2020 was €250 million. An additional €70 million was made available for LEADER in 2021 and 2022 under the transitional arrangements that extended the application of the RDP. A further indicative allocation of €180 million for the LEADER Programme is proposed for the 2023-2027 period under the CAP Strategic Plan. Therefore, the total funding for the seven-year period 2021-2027, at €250 million, will be the same as for the period 2014-2020. The allocation for LEADER is part of the overall allocation of funding for the entire CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.