Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason for the decreased final allocation of LEADER funding to Gaeltacht regions; if he will provide details of the original amount allocated versus the final amount allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4484/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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In May 2013 it became necessary to revise all Local Action Groups’ (LAGs) Rural Development Programme 2007– 2013 allocations as the Programme value had reduced by over 13% due to an increased co-financing rate agreed with the European Commission. When awarding revised allocations I provided €6 million for the Gaeltacht areas. Again in December 2013 I provided an additional allocation of €1 million for Gaeltacht areas.

Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta (MFG), the LAG contracted to deliver the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007– 2013 in Gaeltacht areas, was awarded a funding allocation of €17.27m in 2009. This figure included a provision for a maximum of 20% for administration costs.

MFG went into liquidation in 2011 and at the time of liquidation my Department had paid €3,371,751 to MFG with €1,968,042 of this relating to project payments. In 2012, following legal advice and contact with the European Commission, I extended the contracts of the contiguous LAGs into the former MFG areas to ensure that these areas had access to LEADER funding.

In total the revised allocation available to the Gaeltacht areas is €10,371,751. The table below provides details of revised allocations to the contiguous LAGs including the element of the original allocation spent pre MFG's liquidation.