Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 87: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will incorporate a value for money review into the new rural development programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8859/09]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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All Rural Development Programmes, including previous LEADER Programmes, are subject to ongoing evaluation and this is set out in the EC regulations governing the respective programmes. In the context of the new Rural Development Programme, the EC regulation governing the Programme provides for a mid-term evaluation, the objective of which is to propose measures to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of the Programme. There is also provision for an ex-post evaluation of the Programme.

These evaluations will examine the degree of utilisation of resources, the effectiveness and efficiency of the programming, and the socio-economic impact of the Programme, while also identifying best practice and the factors contributing to the success or failure of the Programme's implementation.

The Managing Authority for the Programme, which is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the Irish context, is obliged to conduct the mid-term and ex-post evaluations in 2010 and 2015 respectively. These evaluations will be publicly available.