Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Leader is a multi-annual EU co-funded programme to support rural development. Ireland has an allocation of €250 million under the programme over the period 2014-20, including both national and EU funding. The programme is administered by local action groups, LAGs, which deliver funding in accordance with local development strategies that have been agreed for each LAG area.

As of 16 February 2018, some 738 projects with a value of over €20.8 million have been approved for Leader funding by the LAGs.

A further 318 projects requesting over €16.1 million in funding are at various stages in the approval process. This funding will be drawn down as projects start to incur expenditure and submit payment claims. Overall expenditure on Leader in 2017 amounted to €14.42 million. Project payments amounting to €993,656 have been made to date. I am providing a breakdown of approvals and expenditure by local action group to the Deputy. While the pace of approval varies between local action groups, LAGs, I am confident that the progress made by the LAGs going forward in 2018, along with the administrative improvements which my Department introduced last year, will result in a significant increase in project approvals and payments under the Leader programme over the coming months.

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