Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be paid a LEADER grant approved to them by MFG; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39618/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG), the group contracted by my Department to deliver Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in Gaeltacht Areas, went into liquidation on 7 September 2011. The legal process of winding up the company and the subsequent implications for the contractual arrangements between both my Department and MFG and between funding beneficiaries and MFG have proven very complex. As a result it has taken some time to reach a satisfactory solution that both supports the delivery of the LEADER elements of the RDP going forward and provides an acceptable system to address projects such as the one referred to in the Question.

However, I can now confirm that contract papers recently issued to Comhar Na nÓileain Teoranta in respect of the provision of Rural Development Programme services in Gaeltacht areas previously contracted to M FG for County Galway. In this context Comhar Na nÓileain will be in contact with RDP promoters shortly with regard to carrying out the necessary next steps to progress projects to completion.