Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments. As I said to Deputy Calleary, the level of funding in 2018 is double the amount that was approved in 2017. That is important. We made many changes in the programme. I will give a straight answer to the Deputy's specific question. I and the Department wrote to the LAGs in October or November allowing them, in their programmes in their counties, to move 25% of the funding into another programme if one set of funding was being used very well and there was not spending on another programme. I have allowed that to happen. I will monitor the situation with regard to funding and spending over the next months. Some of the companies have done very well, for example, in Carlow. It might be asked what is going on with other counties on the list. The same rules and regulations apply to Carlow, Kerry and Mayo. They are all doing well, as is Deputy Smith's county. It has to be asked why it is working in some counties and not in others. I will monitor the situation. For now, I have allowed LAGs to transfer money that is not being used in certain programmes to other programmes without funding and I will monitor the situation.

I want to be honest with the Deputy. I do not want to take money from any county, but if they are not spending it, I have to do something.

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