Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2019
579. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made to date with the roll-out of the LEADER Programme 2014 to 2020; the expenditure incurred to date on the programme by administrative, amination and projects costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42994/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraLEADER is a multi-annual programme which has a total budget of €250 million over the period to 2020. It is administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme across the country.
Total expenditure on the LEADER programme since it commenced - effectively in 2016 when the majority of Funding Agreements were signed with the LAGs - amounts to over €69.5 million. This comprises:
- €1.5 million in initial costs incurred by the LAGs to develop their Local Development Strategies.
- €31.9 million in administration costs of the LAGs and the cost of their engagement with communities to generate projects.
- €36.1 million on project expenditure.
The level of project activity under the LEADER programme has increased significantly over the last year. Over 2,400 projects have now been approved for funding of over €91.8 million. A total of 935 projects have been approved in 2019 alone.
A further 310 applications, requesting an additional €26.4 million, are at an earlier stage in the approvals process.
In addition, more than 100 Food and Co-operation projects have been approved at national level, outside of the core budget available to the LAGs.
Project payments have increased significantly in recent months as approved works are completed and claims are submitted. Over €36.1 million of project expenditure has been incurred to date, €22.9 million of that in the current calendar year.
Indeed, there is a growing demand for more LEADER funding to be made available in some areas. In this regard, earlier this week I announced the allocation of an additional €5 million to the 10 LAGs that are most advanced in delivering the LEADER programme. This is further evidence of the significant progress made under LEADER since my Department introduced a range of administrative improvements to the programme in 2017 and 2018.
