Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021
989. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration has been given to allocating funds available under the European Union Recovery Instrument funding for 2021 and 2022 of which €190 million is allocated to Ireland for the purpose of the LEADER programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6025/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe European Union Recovery Instrument (EURI) is a Fund established by the European Union to support recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. €190 million is to be allocated to Ireland from the Instrument over the period 2021-2022 for agriculture and rural development.
The funding must be programmed into the CAP Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which has now been extended to 2022, and is overseen by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. LEADER is only one element of the wider package of measures which can be supported through this funding.
I understand that the accompanying regulations to the EURI have yet to be adopted, so we must await further details before decisions can be taken on how the funding allocated to Ireland is distributed.
Decisions around the allocation of funding between the relevant priorities, including LEADER, will be considered when the final legal rules are agreed. I will engage with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the matter at that stage in relation to funding for LEADER from the Recovery Instrument.
