Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I no longer pay attention to figures because we have been promised this amount and that amount for the past three or four years but nothing has been delivered. We had a perfect model for delivering the Leader programme but now there are more hoops to jump through and hurdles to be crossed. I am sceptical the new model will see the programme working in the way it previously worked. Why try to fix what was not broken? Local authorities have plenty to do without having to involve themselves in administering the Leader programme. It will be managers rather than local government members who decide where the funding goes. My concern is that urban areas will benefit rather than the rural areas for which the funding was earmarked.

I thank the Chairman.