Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
805. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the amount his Department allocated to counties Kilkenny and Carlow for the LEADER Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020; the way it compares to the allocation in the previous LEADER round of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14606/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra806. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if the allocation of LEADER funding to Counties Kilkenny and Carlow is 42.7%, 15% less than the previous round of funding; his views that this is equitable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14607/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra807. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the average of the national allocation of LEADER funding that was received by Counties of Kilkenny and Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14608/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra808. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he and his Department have received complaints from LEADER companies in Counties Kilkenny and Carlow, regarding the funding that has been allocated to them; the way he will deal with these complaints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14609/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra809. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if there was a cost benefit analysis on the impact the new allocation of LEADER funding would have in Counties Kilkenny and Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14610/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra810. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government if he has been informed that there will be job losses as a result of the new allocation of LEADER funding by his department in Counties Kilkenny and Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14611/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 805 to 810, inclusive, together.
The LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020 will provide €250 million in financial resources to rural communities over the next 5 - 6 years.
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, €220 million of the overall programme complement for the 2014-2020 period has been allocated based on administrative or county boundaries to 28 sub-regional areas.
It should be noted that LEADER funding for the 2007-2013 programming period was not allocated on the basis of county boundaries but to individual Local Action Groups on completion of the Local Development Strategy process. In addition, the allocations were amended in 2012, following a change to the EU co-financing rate arising from the financial crisis. This resulted in a decrease in the overall programme allocation.
Both Carlow and Kilkenny were each serviced by a single Local Development Company for the LEADER elements of the RDP 2007-2013. The table below details the allocations, original and revised, to both companies for that programme period. The table also sets out the allocation for each county for the 2014-2020 programme period. It also details the percentage of the overall programme complement allocated to Carlow and Kilkenny, as well as their percentage of the average allocation.
|
Local Action Group |
Original 2007-2013 LEADER A location |
Revised LEADER 2007-2013 LEADER Allocation (A) |
LEADER 2014-2020 County Allocation (B) |
% Reduction (A-B) |
% of the Overall 2014-2020 County Allocations |
% of the Average 2014-2020 County Allocations |
|
Carlow Co Development Partnership |
€8,878,177.00 |
€7,619,278.00 |
€6,416,803.43 |
- 15.78 % |
2.92 % |
81.67 % |
|
Co Kilkenny LEADER Partnership |
€11,523,729.00 |
€13,587,910.00 |
€7,791,572.91 |
- 42.66 % |
3.54 % |
99.17 % |
In determining the county allocations for the 2014-2020 LEADER programme, three objective criteria were used, namely, minimum allocation, population density and a Resource Allocation Model (RAM). Each county was given a minimum allocation of €3 million to ensure that each received a viable level of funding. However, Cork County was allocated €6 million as a minimum in order to ensure a viable allocation to each of the three administrative districts within the county, as the overall population outside of the city is almost twice that of any other county.
While a specific cost benefit analysis was not conducted, the methodology used to calculate the allocations was designed to ensure that the available funding was weighted towards the most rural populations and those experiencing most rural disadvantage. Using this methodology, which I am satisfied is fair and consistent, each county was allocated a proportionate share of the funding available through the LEADER elements of the RDP 2014-2020.
As the value of the LEADER element of 2014-2020 Programme is less than the LEADER element of the 2007-2013 Programme, the allocations made on a county basis under the new Programme, including the allocation for Carlow and Kilkenny, have inevitably reduced. Nevertheless, I am confident that through improved coordination and enhanced delivery structures at local level, the funding, while decreased, will be maximised to support the sustainable development of our rural communities , including those in Carlow and Kilkenny.
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. 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.
