Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will give the Deputy the outline on the arts programme and how the budget is made up. A total of €2.9 million goes into regional museums; €5 million for Cork events centre; €5.5 million for Culture Ireland; €9.9 million for cultural infrastructure, €14.471 million for the Irish Film Board; €39.132 million for the national cultural institutions; €43 million for the decade of centenaries and €60.1 million for the Arts Council. That is the breakdown of the figure in the 2016 Estimates.

On the issue around Leader, the contracts are signed. The local action groups, LAGs, are continuing to take expressions of interest from local groups and they are engaging with them.

In terms of Cork, funding agreements were signed in the three sub-regional areas in County Cork. There was one strategy submitted for the implementation of Leader. In each of the south Cork and north Cork sub-regional areas, both of these strategies were submitted by the local community development committee, LCDC. In west Cork, local development strategies were submitted by both West Cork Development Partnership, WCDP, and West Cork Local Community Development Committee, LCDC. The strategy submitted by west Cork LCDC was selected by the independent selection committee and the decision was upheld upon appeal. That decision was made. It was independent, and I am very concerned that the Leader programme is rolled out in west Cork.

In terms of the rural economic development zone, REDZ, allocation, the town and village allocation, the CLÁR allocation and the rural recreation allocation, Cork received €2.044 million in funding in recent months. Deputy Collins should know that Cork is certainly not forgotten. That is the position regarding the Leader funding.