Dáil debates

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Other Questions

Leader Programmes Data

11:35 am

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Question No. 43 is in the name of Deputy Ó Cuív.

Photo of Joe CareyJoe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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On a point of order, Deputy Ó Cuív has had four oral questions today. More power to him but I understood that only two oral questions per Deputy were allowed.

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Spokespersons get five.

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the approvals to date by the local action groups of funding for projects under the Leader programme, by local action group; the amount of expenditure to date on projects by local action group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8717/18]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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This refers to another programme where there is underspending. How much has been spent on projects in the Leader programme to date?

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Leader is a multi-annual EU co-funded programme to support rural development. Ireland has an allocation of €250 million under the programme over the period 2014-20, including both national and EU funding. The programme is administered by local action groups, LAGs, which deliver funding in accordance with local development strategies that have been agreed for each LAG area.

As of 16 February 2018, some 738 projects with a value of over €20.8 million have been approved for Leader funding by the LAGs.

A further 318 projects requesting over €16.1 million in funding are at various stages in the approval process. This funding will be drawn down as projects start to incur expenditure and submit payment claims. Overall expenditure on Leader in 2017 amounted to €14.42 million. Project payments amounting to €993,656 have been made to date. I am providing a breakdown of approvals and expenditure by local action group to the Deputy. While the pace of approval varies between local action groups, LAGs, I am confident that the progress made by the LAGs going forward in 2018, along with the administrative improvements which my Department introduced last year, will result in a significant increase in project approvals and payments under the Leader programme over the coming months.

11:45 am

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Did I hear that rightly? There should be approximately €200 million for projects under Leader. Is the Minister telling me that, to date, all that has been approved is approximately 10% of that, €20 million, with all that has been paid out being €933,000 of the allocation for projects of more than €200 million? Will the Minister confirm that I picked up the figures rightly? The Minister read it out very quickly and stumbled over some of the words. It was hard to grasp fully what the Minister was trying to tell me. Am I right that €933,000 is all that communities have got out of this great scheme? Perhaps the Minister will tell me what has been the total administrative expenditure under Leader to date.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will speak slowly because I would not like the Deputy not to be able to understand what I am saying. They understand me everywhere else but just in case the Deputy does not understand what I am saying-----

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is still only going to get the minute.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That is okay. I will give him ten minutes if he wants. I have no problem with that at all. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle can give him as long as he wants to give him. The Deputy knows better than anybody else that people make applications to Leader companies, which approve them. They then come to my Department where they submit receipts and bring in the paperwork. I cannot do any more than I have done with the Leader programme. I have made 31 changes to make it easier for people to make applications to the Leader programme. I met the groups, have listened to people on the ground and want to see this money being spent. Some 63% of this is coming from Europe with 37% coming from the national Government. I want to see this funding spend but I cannot do the jobs of the Leader companies. Deputy Ó Cuív should check his own county, Galway. It has two Leader companies. They have not approved one project and they have no applications here. I can only make the payments as the applications come in to me. I have done everything I can to make it easier for this funding to be drawn down.

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister confirm the figure of €933,000? I will take it, if the Minister does not correct me, that €933,000 has been spent nationally on projects. Will the Minister give me the total figure to date for administration and will he tell me why the onus is not on the Department to ensure that Galway gets projects approved? The Minister knows what the delay was in Galway. The system by which the LAGs were appointed caused the delay in Galway. Specifically on Galway, what will the Minister do to ensure that the ordinary people of Galway get the money to which they are entitled?

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To date, 738 projects have been approved, to the value of €20.8 million. A further 318 projects seeking €16 million have been approved. I sat down with Deputy Ó Cuív and Deputy Kyne. We met the group there and, to be fair to them, they wrote to me afterwards to tell me that they hope to spend and to have the programme up and running shortly. I hope that they will. I want to see the funding spend. I made the changes. I made it easier for these groups to make applications. I cannot do any more about the Leader programme. I will bring in the national organisation again next week. If there are other difficulties and other changes that it wants me to make, I will make them.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Before we move on to the last question from Deputy Carey, I remind the House, since we have more than a quorum here now, that we lost ten minutes this morning because we did not have a quorum. That slippage represents almost two questions.

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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It is the Government's responsibility.

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is the Government's responsibility.

Photo of Pat GallagherPat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It does not matter. I am just making the point. I know that the Minister, Deputy Ring, wanted to take more questions.

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Maybe the Minister could have brought somebody in.