Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if all applicants for LEADER funding who had projects approved for funding under Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta have completed those projects and have now been paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13142/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG) was the Local Development Company contracted by my Department to deliver Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in Gaeltacht Areas for the current 2007-2013 programming period. MFG went into liquidation on 7 September 2011. The delivery of RDP funding to the Gaeltacht areas previously served by MFG is now being facilitated by the geographically contiguous Local Action Groups (LAGs) in all areas except the Erris region of Mayo. I expect to have a solution for the Erris area in the near future.

Between February 2009 and September 2011 MFG registered expenditure of €1.9 million and at the time of the liquidation had outstanding project commitments of €4.1 million which are now being dealt with by the contiguous LAGs.

A number of issues have arisen in relation to a number of the legacy project files including missing or inadequate documentation. However the LAGs in question are pursuing these issues with a view to resolving as many as possible, as quickly as possible. My Department has issued advice on how to progress the processing of project files where issues have arisen and it is hoped that this will assist the LAGs in their decision making process and facilitate the submission of claims for payment where appropriate.

The LAGs involved in processing the legacy MFG files have indicated that they expect to process approximately €800,000 in respect of 74 project claims by the end of 2013 of which just under €114,000 has been paid to date.