Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We had a LEADER forum involving all of the relevant groups on 17 May of this year in order to explore the issues and concerns around the lags and delays, and to identify potential solutions and ways of streamlining the current LEADER programme. The forum identified a number of areas where it felt procedures could be streamlined and where the burden of project applications could be reduced. On the basis of feedback received from that forum, the Department of Rural and Community Development has committed to 31 actions, or 31 changes to be made across most of the problems flagged. My understanding is that two-thirds of these actions have now been implemented, which has certainly led to a degree of streamlining, and since July we have seen major improvements in the LEADER scheme.

The Deputy is correct in saying that the LEADER programme has been slow in getting up and running. Looking back at last programme from 2007-2013, however, we see that it had an allocation of €400 million as compared to €250 million now for the 2014-2020 programme. The 2007-2013 programme did not get up and running until the funding agreements were signed in the first half of 2009. Most of the funding agreements for the 2014-2020 programme, meanwhile, were signed in the second half of 2016, amounting to a six-month difference to the signing of its predecessor. There are also differences in structures and systems. In August 2010, a year and a half after the funding was signed, the 2007-2013 programme had spent less than 10% of its €38 million allocation. A total of 52% of that 2007-2013 programme, meanwhile, was spent on administration, while the full allocation has still yet to be drawn down. As of September 2017 a total of €375 million had been paid out on the old programme, that is to say €25 million of the full allocation has yet to be drawn down. We are now beginning to see a significant increase under the new programme with €11 million worth of projects already up and running. There have certainly been difficulties but we have now made changes. Having met the LEADER companies at the forum, I met them again last week and they are now telling me that the new changes have simplified the whole process. There have to be checks and balances, however, because the EU wants 100% of the projects to be checked because of issues with previous programmes. I have to operate within these rules and regulations but I have, nonetheless, simplified the process and hope to see major improvements with LEADER.

With regard to local improvement schemes, no such scheme had been in place for a very long time. I tried to get the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide a scheme, or even join me on this particular scheme, but it did not. I found €10 million for the local improvement scheme this year.

Deputy Smyth is quite correct, I have put it into a programme for this year, so there is a programme in place for the LIS.

I have learned from Deputy Ó Cuív. I will try to get that €10 million out as quickly as I can early in the new year, and if there are savings, there could be a further scheme later on in the year. At least there is €10 million in the programme for next year. There is a programme now and there will be one for the future.

The Deputy asked about a plan. He is correct that a plan is very important. There are many areas in this country that do not have motorways, rail or the infrastructure that they need. Areas, particularly rural areas, been deprived. Last week there was an announcement about Pobal. That is why the plan is important and I do not mind coming back to this committee about it. I hope that the committee will bring the Minister, Deputy Murphy, before it and make its views known. I have made my views known. I have put in major submissions to the plan and I will monitor it every step of the way to ensure that we see a rebalancing relative to Dublin. Dublin is the capital city and is doing well, which is great to see, but we need to rebalance. We must get infrastructure and jobs into rural areas and get people back living and working there. With the plan and the capital programme we had to be careful that the rural areas were in the plan and that the money followed it. If it had not been in the plan, the money would not have been there. It is a challenge for us all and I will be there.

On funding in Deputy Smyth's own county of Cavan, I could be critical of local authorities. I will not criticise them today but I have seen this happening. Why do local authorities make applications for schemes which they do not have ready? If they are applying for schemes, if they do not have the funding in place and they are not shovel ready, why are they making the applications? In the Deputy's county, it got €200,000 for the rents programme in 2016, of which €72,500 was spent, a 36% spend. The Deputy was correct on the town and village programme. It got €380,000. It did fairly well on that. It spent €260,229, which is a 68% spend of the funds. From the CLÁR programme, it got €498,000. It did very well on that, and has spent €459,000 of that. It received €45,000 for the rural recreation scheme and has spent €30,000. Those are all the schemes for which County Cavan was awarded funds, coming to €1.123 million of which it has spent €822,000. There has been an improvement, a 73% spend of the funding it has received. Those figures are up to date and I will make those available to Deputy Smyth if she wants them. I would like to see the local authorities spending 100% of their funding.

The Deputy asked about the LIS. This will be the challenge for the local authorities. We wrote to them and asked them to submit plans for roads on which they could spend the money. I do not want to see them looking for time to extend it at the end of the month. All the rural Deputies here will know that when I was on the council, and I expect this was the same for others, the LIS was always left until November or December. The councils have had time to do it. They always look to do work at the end of the year. They have the €10 million in the new year and I want to see every penny of it spent. If that does not happen and if they will not spend the money, what is the point of having the LIS? At some stage next year, there may be an opportunity to put additional funding into it.