Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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My question is related and I tabled a parliamentary question on the issue. There are very significant staffing resources now that will become available within LEADER. There is a huge plethora of schemes, particularly in the last number of months, that support small business and the self-employed. Can we redeploy some of the LEADER staff to work with those businesses to assist them to apply for restart grants, trading online vouchers and so forth? If we did we could maximise the drawdown of the funding by local businesses that sometimes are the last people to know about support or the last to draw it down.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the presence of Ms Sheenagh Rooney, Assistant Secretary, Department of Rural and Community Development who is assisting us here today.