The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) outlined 34 recommendations to support rural economic development into the future and I, along with my Government colleagues, are committed to implementing these recommendations.
I am the Chair of the CEDRA Interdepartmental Group (IDG) that is working in a coordinated way to support the economic development of rural areas. In relation to the Rural Innovation and Development fund, which the Deputy refers to, an amount of €1 million has been allocated for this purpose in 2015 and I am currently examining ways to distribute this funding in order to maximise its impact at local level.
A number of the recommendations contained in the CEDRA report relate to the provision of broadband infrastructure in rural areas and form part of the work programme of the IDG. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is represented on the IDG and I am advised that the Department has recently launched a new website entitled www.broadband.gov.ie, which sets out the importance of all citizens having access to high speed broadband no matter where they live or work. The national broadband plan , which is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, is an ambitious initiative that will take time to implement but I am confident will deliver for rural areas.
The LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 which falls under my Department’s remit did provide support to both new and already established enterprise in rural areas. Since the current programme period began in 2009, 8, 698 enterprises have been supported and 4, 084 jobs created. In 2014, 1, 880 enterprises were supported with 1,148 jobs created. LEADER has also provided support in the past to Community Enterprise Centers in the context of the requirement for such centers having been identified in the needs analysis of the area concerned. As LEADER is a community led approach to development there are no allocations specifically for community enterprise centres; however, they are eligible for funding if the need for them is identified by the community concerned. LEADER is not the only avenue for funding to rural enterprise related activity, and in this context the information above should be supplemented by information from other relevant Departments.
It should be noted that support for rural enterprise development will also be available through the LEADER elements of RDP 2014-2020 where a total of €250 million euro will be available over the next 5-6 years to support the development of sustainable rural communities. LEADER is delivered through the medium of Local Development Strategies (LDS) by Local Action Groups and I hope to be in a position to launch the selection process for LDSs very shortly, with a view to having strategies operational towards the end of 2015.
The resources available through the LEADER elements of the RDP are critical to the future economic development of rural Ireland. However, it is also essential to ensure that these resources are working in a complementary way at a local level. In this context the delivery of a more coordinated approach to local development as envisaged by the local government reform process is also critical and I am confident that the delivery of LEADER and other resources in a coordinated way at a local level will provide strong support for the future sustainable development of rural Ireland.
