Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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440. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe for the next round of LEADER funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2562/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Preparations for Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP) have begun and public consultation on the overall Programme will commence shortly with a view to the programme commencing in 2015. My Department is holding its own targeted stakeholders’ consultation meeting on the LEADER elements of the 2014-2020 RDP on 30 January and a public consultation meeting in February.

Within the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 a separate financia l allocation will be allocated for LEADER activity. This allocation will comprise of some €153 million EU funding which will be co-financed by Exch equer funding. The Exchequer allo cation is subject to discussion between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, following which I will announce the overall value of the LEADER elements of the Programme.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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441. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of the level of LEADER funding made available to Gaeltacht areas in the most recent round of redistribution; the rate of increase/decrease this funding represents on the funding previously available in each area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2563/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Before Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG) went into liquidation in 2011 my Department had paid €3.37m to the company under the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) . Following legal advice and discussions with the European Commission in late 2012 the areas which had been previously served by MFG were transferred to the contiguous Local Action Groups (LAGs ).

In May 2013 I allocated the contiguous LAGs a ring-fenced allocation of €6 million for the Gaeltacht areas and again in December 2013 I provided another ring-fenced €1 million. In total the Gaeltacht areas have been provided with €10.4 million in funding under the Programme.

The distribution of the funding under the December allocation and the percentage increase is detailed in the table: