Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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433. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a person in a Gaeltacht Údarás catchment area will be permitted to apply for LEADER funding from a Development Partnership. [22350/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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For the purposes of implementing the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) and in the context of the Irish National Spatial Strategy, rural areas are defined as all parts of Ireland outside:

- The City Council boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick;

- The Borough Council boundaries of Kilkenny, Sligo and Wexford;

- The Town Council boundaries of Athlone, Ballina, Castlebar, Cavan, Dundalk, Ennis, Killarney, Letterkenny, Mallow, Monaghan, Mullingar, Tralee, Tuam and Tullamore.

Outside of these areas any individual or community group resident in rural Ireland can apply for funding under the Axis 3&4 (LEADER) elements of the RDP and this includes all Gaeltacht areas outside of the towns and cities listed above.

With regard to the area referred to in the Question, the Local Development Company (LDC) dealing with this area is North Kerry LEADER Partnership and anyone seeking information on RDP funding should contact them. The contact details for all 35 LDCs contracted to deliver the RDP can be found on my Department's website at . With regard to the Gaeltacht area of North Mayo, my Department is working to determine a delivery mechanism to ensure full coverage for all the Gaeltacht areas, including North Mayo, that is practical and complies with both national and EU regulations. I am confident that this process is nearing completion.