Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I got on very well with them. It would allow the Minister to ensure there is a full spend, which is important. The Minister said he would be carrying forward €50 million into next year. The basic allocation was €96 million for Leader in the Estimate. There was a huge underspend in his Department, which I cannot believe. Imagine all the economic activity it could have achieved. Some €172 million of economic activity is being put aside, but that is a question for another day.

Will the Minister confirm that there will be a big drive to try to get as much money as possible out before the end of the year and that every application ready to be funded will be funded by the end of the year? In other words, where the work is done and the application comes in for the payout, those payouts should be expedited and, as much as possible, paid out before the end of the year. Does that mean the Minister will have achieved an expenditure of €81 million under Leader by the end of the year, if he is only carrying forward €50 million? I take it all of this underspend relates to water and sewerage schemes and other things.

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