Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has viewed the independent report completed by Achilles Consultants in relation to a project (details supplied) in County Donegal; his views on the recommendations made by the report; the reason his Department have not acted on the recommendations in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54641/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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161. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will meet with a cross party delegation to discuss the issues in relation to funding of a project (details supplied) in County Donegal; if he accepts that failure to resolve the issues with this project have consequences for future LEADER funding of similar projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54643/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos.159 and 161 together.

In line with the 'bottom-up' approach to rural development there are 35 Local Action Groups (LAGs) contracted on my Department's behalf to deliver the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 throughout the country. These groups are the principal decision-makers in relation to the allocation of project funding and compliance with the regulatory framework established by the European Commission. My Department is charged with ensuring that all decisions made at local level are compliant with both the National and EU regulatory frameworks and that there is a robust system in place to facilitate this. This includes a system of control checks as well a system for facilitating subsequent appeals on foot of such controls. The project referred to in the questions was subject to such control checks to the review and appeals process in place in my Department, and therefore it would not be appropriate for me to comment on or to meet with a delegation on this issue. My Department has received the report referred to and it is an input into the Department's continuing consideration of this project.