Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 March 2024
339. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the reason for the delay with the commencement of the Leader Programme in County Galway; the number of companies that will deliver the Leader Programme there; the areas they will cover; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13470/24]
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.
I am pleased to inform the deputy that the process to select the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme in Galway has been completed. Three LAGs have been selected to deliver the programme in the Galway sub-regional area. Galway Rural Development will deliver the programme in the east of the county, Forum Connemara will deliver in the west of the county and Comhar na nOiléan will be responsible for the delivery of the programme on the offshore islands. All LAGs were notified on 16 February 2024 of the outcome of the process. The approved LAGs can now commence the delivery of the programme in their respective area.
I look forward to the continued successful delivery of the LEADER Programme and I am confident that LEADER will continue to play a vital role in the coming years in delivering locally led projects which deliver very real impact for communities across the country.
