Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The procurement process is being reviewed. I do not have any difficulty going to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I am happy to try anything that will make the LEADER programme work better. As Minister, I have made more than 31 changes to the programme and it is beginning to work. If there is anything else I can do to simplify it, I will do so. I will speak to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform about what can be done about the smaller projects. We have to be careful, however. I am accountable to the Dáil and I am spending taxpayers' money. We have had difficulties with LEADER programmes in the past. We are also accountable to Europe, as the Deputy knows. If there are any problems with the LEADER programme we have to pay money back to Europe. We provide a certain amount of funding for it, as does the European Union.

The Deputy asked a question about a particular matter. It is something at which I will look. We have made a lot of changes already. I will also ask my officials to look at some of the LEADER companies. I know that the Deputy and everyone else will have problems when I take money from Galway and other places that are not using it. However, I do so because the available money will be spent. The Deputy mentioned 2020. It is true that the programme will finish then, but projects will have three years to reach completion after that.

See this speech in context