Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 March 2015
621. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he and his Department have received complaints from Leader companies regarding the funding that has been allocated to them; the way these complaints will be dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12744/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra623. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has been informed that the new allocation of Leader funding by his Department will result in job losses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12746/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra636. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the huge concerns of Leader companies regarding the huge reduction in their funding; how he plans to address their valid concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12893/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra638. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that the new allocation of Leader funding by his Department will result in job losses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12895/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 621, 623, 636 and 638 together.
Ireland is reconfiguring the way in which local and rural development interventions are implemented. This is in line with Government policy to ensure that local government is well positioned to support the effective and efficient delivery of local and rural development. In this context €220m of the overall programme complement for the 2014-2020 period has been allocated based on administrative or county boundaries to 28 sub-regional areas.
For the avoidance of any doubt, it should be noted that the allocations announced on 10 March 2015 were not allocations to current Local Development Companies. The allocations were made to counties on the basis that Local Development Strategies will emerge from these counties to support the delivery of the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme. Any entities contracted to support the delivery of the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme will be selected on the basis of an open and transparent selection process the first stage of which was launched on 23 March 2015.
Under the EU regulatory framework governing the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, each EU Member State must conduct an open and transparent process to select both the Local Development Strategies and the Local Action Group(s) for each sub-regional area. Accordingly, my Department is conducting a two stage process. The first stage, which is an Expressions of Interest (EOI) stage, was recently launched and any entity wishing to be considered as a Local Action Group for their area has until 15 May 2015 to submit an EOI. Further details are available on my Department’s website on
http://www.environ.ie/en/Community/RuralDevelopment/EURuralDevelopment/RuralDevelopmentProgrammeLEADER2014-2020/SelectionProcessforLEADER2014-2020/.
Entities successful in the first stage of the process will be invited and supported in Stage Two of the process, which is the design of a Local Development Strategy for their area. I expect that some Local Development Strategies will be operational and funding available by Autumn 2015.
My Department has no role in the internal operations of Local Development Companies and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to staff or employment matters, which are for the Board of each company, as the employer, to manage.
