Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
647. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the evaluation of the Leader Local Development Strategies for the 2023-2027 programme; when the funding allocations are expected to be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44990/23]
View answerThe LEADER Programme is one of the key interventions of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year.
The process to select the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme is ongoing at present and the Local Development Strategies, which were submitted by the applicant LAGs in July, are currently being assessed.
A number of LAGs have been approved to date to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER programme and my Department is now focusing on completing the selection of the remaining LAGs with a view to completing this process by the end of year to ensure a smooth transition from the 2014-2020 Programme.
The funding allocations for the 2023-2027 period for the LEADER sub-regional areas were announced in October last year and total €180 million. In addition to the €70 million allocated for the 2021- 2022 period this brings the total LEADER allocation for the 2021 – 2027 period to €250 million, thus maintaining the level of funding provided for the 2014-2020 programming period. The funding will be made available to the selected LAG(s) once the Local Development Strategy selection process is completed in the relevant sub-regional area.
LEADER has been operating very successfully in Ireland for over 30 years now and I am confident that the new LEADER programme will continue to deliver for rural communities all across the country.
