Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1868. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the decision on the tender of local development strategy for the delivery LEADER 2023 to 2027 for the Connemara Municipal District area of County Galway submitted by an organisation (details supplied) will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57087/23]
View answerThe LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas.The process to select the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme is ongoing at present. The Local Development Strategies which were submitted by the applicant LAGs are currently being assessed by the Independent Selection Committee (ISC) established to adjudicate on the strategies. To date, LAGs have been appointed by my Department in sixteen sub-regional areas. Strategies in the remaining areas are being considered by the ISC on an ongoing basis with a view to completing the selection of the remaining LAGs at an early date. All applicant LAGs will be notified of the outcome of the selection process in their sub-regional area as they are approved. Once a LAG is approved it can commence the delivery of the programme in their area.While the process to select the LAGs is ongoing at the moment it should be noted that those bodies engaged in delivering the 2014-2020 LEADER programme will continue to do so in 2024 until the completion of that programme.My Department’s focus now is to complete the selection of the remaining LAGs to ensure a timely and smooth transition from the 2014-2020 programme.
