Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Arising from the joint ministerial initiative on the review of local and community development structures, the Government agreed a series of measures in January 2004 to improve arrangements under which community and local development initiatives are delivered and to improve cohesion and focus across various measures. This process is informed by the following guiding principles: improving on the ground services; streamlining structures to avoid overlaps, duplication and undue administrative overheads; bringing transparency, co-ordination and improved control to the funding and operation of local and community development measures; and strengthening the democratic accountability of agencies and providers in this area.

The core objective of the process is to simplify and improve local delivery of programmes operated by my Department through the integration and alignment of local delivery structures. The intention is that for the future, there will be one local development company in any given area and fewer local development companies overall. This will provide full county coverage and eliminate overlaps and previous fragmented arrangements.

Following exhaustive consultations with and between the local agencies to develop the most suitable configurations of groups, the Government decided on revised areas of coverage for local development companies in March of this year and clarified the arrangements in respect of the membership of the boards of these bodies in late July. Leader and partnership groups have been asked to give effect to these decisions and my Department has provided detailed guidelines to secure this outcome.

The realignment of local delivery structures will bring the overall number of local development delivery bodies to 55, comprising 38 integrated Leader-partnership bodies in rural areas and 17 partnerships covering urban areas. In most cases, the Government agreed that coverage areas would be aligned with county and city boundaries, with the number of structures in a county determined on the basis of population and overall geography. Some companies will continue to operate on a cross-county basis and there would be no objection to companies in separate areas taking a joint approach to the rural development programme.

The existing Leader+ and NRDP programmes for 2000 to 2006 have now effectively concluded and the process of closing the programmes is under way. Applications will shortly be sought from prospective local action groups with regard to the implementation of the new rural development programme 2007-2013. My Department is providing funding to Leader companies to enable them to meet their obligations regarding the administration and closure of the 2000 to 2006 programmes and maintain continuity and expertise pending the commencement of the new rural development programme. Transitional arrangements are also being put in place in respect of other development schemes, such as the rural social scheme, pending the necessary administrative adjustments arising from the boundary changes coming into effect.

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