Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when funding will be made available to North and East Kerry Development for new applications for Leader funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47622/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 have funding of €314m for allocation to qualifying projects up to the end of 2013. There are 35 Local Action Groups contracted, on my Department’s behalf, to deliver the RDP throughout the country and these groups are the principal decision-makers in relation to the allocation of project funding. Such decisions are made in the context of the local development strategy of the individual groups and in line with Departmental operating rules and EU regulations.

Each Local Action Group has an allocation for the delivery of LEADER funding until the end of the current programming period. The LEADER elements of the RDP currently offer, and will continue to offer, substantial financial resources to rural communities all over Ireland including communities in the North and East Kerry area.