Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
2181. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the estimated full-year cost of establishing a new local action group for LEADER programming; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40107/22]
View answerThe LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It is a multi-annual programme for rural development co-funded by the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The programme is based on a community-led approach to rural development and plays an important role in supporting communities and enterprises in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level.
Preparations for the design and delivery of the next LEADER programme from 2023-2027 are well underway and there is ongoing engagement between my officials, colleagues from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and the EU Commission with a view to obtaining approval for the CAP Strategic Plan as a matter of priority.
€250m has been made available for LEADER for the period 2021 to 2027. This is comprised of €70 million for the transitional period 2021 to 2022 which came into effect on 1 April 2021 and an additional €180 million from 2023 to 2027. This level of funding is evidence of the Government’s continued support for the LEADER programme.
Funding allocations for the new LEADER programme will be allocated to Local Action Groups (LAGs), following an open and competitive selection process. Given the structure of the LEADER programme nationwide, there is not a standard costing for the establishment of a new LAG. However, as part of the selection of LAGs to deliver the new LEADER programme, funding will be available to groups to assist with the development of Local Development Strategies, and ongoing administrative funding for LAGs forms a core part of the LEADER structure.
