Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I welcome the €250 million that has been provided under the Leader element of the rural development programme between 2014 and 2020. This Leader programme will have a significant impact on and provide potential benefit to the region I serve, County Mayo, as well as for the west and for rural areas in particular. As the money is there, it is a question of it being used and applied in the right way in order to derive the maximum return therefrom. The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas chaired by Pat Spillane issued its report a number of weeks ago. While it set out a stark picture regarding the challenges facing rural Ireland, it also set out, very hopefully, means and methods that might be tried to address the decline of rural Ireland and that might enable the creation now of a sustainable future for the peoples of rural Ireland. It also set out that this is an element of our country, including these people and this lifestyle, that we cherish. The Leader programme can be one strand used to ensure a sustainable future for rural Ireland and I welcome this. It is evident in the areas of economic and social development in rural areas such as tourism. In my experience, however, it is about building up communities, making sure they are viable and that such communities frequently act together in concert to deliver a project or an activity in their area and this funding allows them to do that. While preparatory work on the new Leader programme is well under way, I acknowledge the significant reduction in funding available in this round of Leader funding will pose its own challenges, adjustments and changes, which are required to draw up a programme. This will mean, first and foremost, the maximum benefit for the front-line services that the Leader programme is required to deliver for the people living in rural areas and for economic development in those areas.

As this plan is fleshed out and as the preparatory work formalises further, it must examine the essence of what worked in Leader. I am referring here to local knowledge and staff in Leader companies who were prepared to visit and work with communities that were operating on a voluntary basis, to animate them, get them interested and see the results on the ground. One major challenge for the local authority in respect of alignment is that it too must go to the same extremes or ends to engage with those communities. However, it is welcome that by bringing in the local authority, one in effect is introducing the democratically-elected representatives, coupled with community input, into the decision-making process. There is potential there and it would be a shame not to get it right and for the skills and experience that have been amassed, as well as those links deep into the community, not to be preserved as the form of the delivery of the Leader programme changes.

More particularly, in line with references made by previous speakers, I refer to delays in the payment of Leader grants. I ask the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to refer in particular to the Mayo North East Leader Partnership Company. I have made scores of representations on behalf of individuals, community organisations and businesses that are trying to get funds which, they believe, have been sanctioned. On the one hand, they are being told by the company that the delay is with the Department while on the other hand, the Department has told them it is the responsibility of the company. It is like ping-pong and some of this has been going on since the company was placed under the supervision of the Department in February 2013. I still cannot get answers and would like the Minister to take a particular interest in this regard. There are businesses that are out on a limb and which need that funding to grow their business. This is what the money is for and the position is highly unsatisfactory. Issues such as this and this blockage in particular must be addressed.

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