Claire Kerrane
Ceist:1997. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the estimated full-year cost of increasing LEADER funding by 10%. [28950/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 14 June 2022
Ceisteanna (1997)
Freagraí scríofa
LEADER is a multi-annual EU programme which has a total budget of €250 million over the 7 year programming period 2014-2020. In December 2020, I launched the Transitional LEADER Programme, which came into effect on 1st April 2021 and will run to the end of 2022. A total of €70 million is being made available over this programming period.
An indicative allocation of €180m has been made available for the period 2023 to 2027. When taken together with the €70 million allocated for 2021 and 2022 the LEADER programme will maintain the same level of funding from the 2014-2020 period. This allocation of €250 million shows the Government’s continued support for the LEADER programme.
Activity under the LEADER programme fluctuates on a year-to-year basis depending on the demand for funding, the level of project approvals made by the LAGs, and the stage of the programme’s lifecycle.
There are, therefore, a number of different components to the LEADER funding which have a greater or lesser emphasis at different points during the programming period.
However, an increase of 10% to the overall budget of €250 million available for the LEADER programme as outlined above would equate to approximately €3.5 million increase on average annually.