Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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486. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when he will provide details of the amounts the Exchequer will provide to co-finance the next round of Leader-funded projects in accordance with the recently announced rural development programme for 2014 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8189/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has received an allocation from the EU of € 2.1 billion for the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP). The EU Regulations provide for a 5% minimum allocation for LEADER. The Government has decided to increase this to 7% and I welcome this. Therefore €153 million in EU funding will be available for LEADER and this will be co-financed by Exchequer funding. Preparations in respect of the design, content and implementation of the 2014 – 2020 RDP are currently under way and a number of stakeholder meetings and public consultations have already taken place. Those interested in contributing to the process can do so by making a written submission to .

The Exchequer co-financing element is currently subject to discussions between my Department, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and following conclusion of these discussions, I will announce the overall value of the LEADER elements of the Programme.