Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, overall Pillar 2 funding was reduced and, in the second, the Government did not live up to its promise on 50-50 funding. In the context of matching funding in respect of Leader programmes, only 37% is being provided by the Government. The reduction in funding in all of the counties to which I refer has been quite severe.

Will the Taoiseach please address the realities that will be experienced in towns and villages throughout Ireland as a result of these quite dramatic funding cuts?

This means some services will have to close and some will not be sustainable in future. Will the Taoiseach restore the level of funding provided between 2007 and 2013 for the period from 2013 to 2020?

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