Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The work carried out through the LEADER programme and the contribution it makes to the rural Ireland cannot be overemphasised. My county has North Tipperary and South Tipperary Development Company. Together they provide a community-led approach that contributes to the social and economic life of our county. I do not know where we would be without either of them.

Rural Ireland faces challenges all of its own. The LEADER programme aims to address these issues, and it does a brilliant job, but the recent budget let them down. The current LEADER programme for 2014 to 2020 ends on 31 December and it is expected the next LEADER programme will not begin until 2023, leaving a two-year gap. The Irish Local Development Network and the South Tipperary Development Company tell me that this remains unaddressed. Their three central concerns about budget 2021 were that it provided no funding for a new LEADER project in 2021, that no funding had been identified for the delivery and administration of the LEADER programme for 2021, and that no interim national rural development plan had been announced for the period between 2021 to 2023, in line with the commitment in the programme for Government.

A total of €44 million was allocated for LEADER in the budget. However, the Irish Local Development Network and South Tipperary Development Company contend that nearly all of this provides for payment on allocations up to the end of December with no funding for new allocations in 2021. There is concern about the ability to pay staff as no funding has been identified for the delivery and administration of the LEADER programme for 2021.

What happens to the LEADER programme in 2021 and 2022? The programme for Government states that the government will "prioritise a state-led rural development programme to bridge the gap between the wind-up of the existing LEADER programme and the implementation of the new programme". If the Minister argues that the overhang from current programme means there is no need for a new interim programme until later in 2021, he is effectively saying that there is no clear provision for LEADER programme providers or staff engaged in the delivery and administration of the LEADER programme. He may say that as the transitionary phase of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, has not been determined, that prevents him from acting now. However, budget 2021 provides for the delivery of schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy through the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, notwithstanding the absence of EU regulations in this regard.

Will the Minister confirm the delivery of an interim national rural development plan for 2021 to 2023? Will he confirm funding for new projects for 2021, which are critical for the sustainable development of rural areas? Will he outline the shape of the LEADER programme for 2023 and beyond?

See this speech in context