Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue. Like him, I am a big supporter of the work of LEADER groups. They have achieved quite a lot over recent years and I look forward to their future success. I am happy to recognise and confirm that I support their work, as do many people in these Houses because they have achieved quite a lot in working directly with our communities, both urban and rural. We want to build on their success. I look forward to continuing to work with them and to supporting their work. I am glad the Senator has raised this issue on behalf of all the LEADER groups.

The LEADER programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s policy for rural development launched last year, which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over its lifetime. As the Senator mentioned, LEADER is a multi-annual programme for rural development co-funded by the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy. The programme is based on a community-led approach to rural development and plays an important role in supporting communities and enterprises in rural areas and certain urban areas in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level.

Local action groups, LAGs, which administer the programme at local level, have approved more than 5,200 projects to the value of €220 million nationally since the 2014-2020 LEADER programme began in the middle of 2016. The type of projects supported include construction projects, biodiversity and renewable energy projects, analysis and development-type projects and marketing and training projects.These projects bring much-needed assistance to small businesses at this time, as well as supporting job retention and new employment opportunities.

As we look to the future and the next LEADER programme, in April 2021, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, launched a two-year transitional LEADER programme for 2021 and 2022, which ensured for the first time that there was no funding gap between this programming period and the next programme, which will begin in 2023. Some €250 million has been made available for LEADER for the period 2021 to 2027 maintaining the level of funding provided for the current programming period. This funding comprises €70 million for the transitional period 2021 to 2022 and an additional €180 million from 2023 to 2027. This level of funding is evidence of the Government’s continued support for the LEADER programme.

Preparations for the design and delivery of the next LEADER programme from 2023 to 2027 are well under way. There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Rural and Community Development officials and stakeholders in this regard. Decisions relating to all aspects of the programme will be considered as part of the ongoing programme design phase. It is proposed to hold the local development strategy and LAG selection process over two stages. The selection of the LAGs cannot commence until the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan, CSP, is approved by the EU Commission, which is expected to happen later in the year. However, the first stage, which is an expression of interest by eligible groups, could commence in advance of the CSP approval in order to be ready to launch the second stage once that approval is forthcoming.

The ongoing engagement and consultation with stakeholders, combined with the funding allocation of €250 million indicated, will ensure that the LEADER programme from 2023 will continue to support and further develop our rural communities and businesses, and certain urban areas as well.