Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Funding arrangements for the current Leader programme from 2014 to 2020 were, for the most part, signed with the local action groups, LAGs, which delivered the programme in the second half of 2016 and the programme effectively became operational from that date. The current Leader programme has an allocation of €250 million over the period to 2020, whereas the previous programme, which covered the period 2007 to 2013, had an allocation of €400 million.

Project expenditure under the current programme to 31 December 2017 amounted to €661,844, or 0.3% of the total fund. I understand that funding agreements under the 2007 to 2013 Leader programme were signed with the LAGs early in 2009. A total of €16 million in project payments, or 4.4% of the total fund, were made during the first 18 months of the 2007 to 2013 programme.

Leader is an EU-wide programme, co-financed by the European Commission. As with any programme of this scale, there is a natural lead-in period for a new programme to become established, for delivery models to be put in place and for the local action groups to issue calls for proposals and work with applicants to refine their plans.

However, the number of project applications approved by the local action groups increased significantly in 2017. In total, 738 Leader projects have now been approved for Leader funding of €20.8 million. A further 318 project applications, requesting over €16 million in funding, are going through the approvals process. Payments will be made to the projects as they become operational and submit payment claims.

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