Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 April 2024
189. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a grant will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15534/24]
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.
The LEADER Food Initiative was launched by my Department and the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine in May 2018 with an allocation of €15 million. This Initiative was designed to support the further development of food and beverage businesses. A limited call for proposals under this initiative issued in August 2023 to utilise unallocated funds with a condition that all works must be complete by March 2024.
My Department received an Expression of Interest in respect of the project referenced by the Deputy. However the project did not progress to application stage and was not approved for funding due to the scale of the project and the limited budget available nationally to fund proposals under the call.
The new LEADER programme for the period 2023-2027 will shortly be available in the Kerry area and I would advise the promoter to contact the Local Action Group which administers LEADER funding in their area to discuss the possibility of progressing the project in question under the new programme.
