Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who is unavailable and sends her apologies. The LEADER programme is an EU-funded programme that has been in operation since 1991. It has supported thousands of community-led projects in Ireland and throughout the EU since it was introduced.

The current LEADER programme 2014-20 will come to an end this year.  Under that seven-year programme, €168.7 million was allocated for project approvals to the local action groups, LAGs, that deliver the programme at local level. This was in addition to the programme preparation and administration costs of the LAGs.  As of 1 November, 3,530 projects with a value of more than €139 million have been approved for LEADER funding by the LAGs. A further 341 projects requesting more than €21 million in funding are at various stages in the approval process.

Due to delays at EU level, the next LEADER programme will not commence until 2022 at the earliest.  The programme for Government includes a commitment to prioritise a State-led programme to bridge the gap between the current LEADER programme and the next.  The objective of this transitional programme is to allow locally led rural development projects to continue to be delivered using the LEADER model until the new EU programme commences. The duration of the transitional period at EU level has not yet been agreed. Therefore, we are planning for the transitional programme to run for an initial period of 12 months, with scope to extend it if necessary, to align with the outcome of the discussions at EU level between the Commission and the Parliament. 

The total allocation for the LEADER programme next year is €44 million. This allocation will be used to fund existing projects as they come to completion and submit payment claims. It will also fund new projects to be approved under the transitional programme and support the administration costs of the LAGs in closing out the existing programme and delivering the transitional programme.

It is important to recognise that LEADER is a multi-annual programme and that payments in respect of projects that are approved in any given year are generally not drawn down until subsequent years, as the projects are completed. Therefore, costs related to projects under the transitional programme are likely to be met from the provision in the Department's Vote in 2022 and 2023, as well as in 2021. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, hopes to be in a position shortly to announce details of the transitional programme, which will come into effect in 2021.

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