Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I acknowledge the support given to the Old Fort Quarter festival and other projects in County Laois through the LEADER fund and I accept that. The key thing is that sometimes the information on what is available and where it can be accessed is unclear. I know some bureaucracy is necessary and it is important that money be accounted for properly and that things be done the right way. However, we need to try to streamline this. There can be a multitude of places to go to for funding but sometimes there is a fog in that regard. It needs to be kept very simple and straightforward. Maybe there could be something from the Department to state what is available. The Minister mentioned a number of avenues. Information is key for local communities to find out where to go for this.

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