Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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552. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to allocate an additional €40 million over the coming years to enhance the Leader programme, given the high level of demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42891/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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The LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020 will provide €250 million to support the development of sustainable rural communities. €220 million of this has been made available to the 28 sub-regional areas with €5m for the REDZ Initiative and €10 million for cooperation projects to be distributed in due course. An additional €15 million will be made available through LEADER for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine Artisan Foods Initiative.

Ireland is conducting a two stage process for the selection of local development strategies to support the delivery of the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. Stage one of the process is now complete and those successful at stage one have moved to stage two of the process, which is the preparation of local development strategies for their areas. Indeed, the preparation and submission of local development strategies is underway in each of the 28 designated sub-regional areas. A minimum period of six months to end-January 2016 has been allowed for the submission of strategies by all Local Action Groups, with the majority expected to submit strategies within that timeframe. To date, four local development strategies have been received and these are being considered at present.

The focus is now on ensuring that all of the strategies are finalised so that Local Action Groups can begin accepting applications from both private promoters and community groups for projects. My priority is to begin distributing the existing €250 million in funding to those rural communities. As regards additional funding, the Deputy will be aware that I recently announced a €30m investment to support Town and Village regeneration. The new scheme will support the revitalisation of rural towns and villages with the aim of improving the living and working environment in rural communities and enhancing their potential to support increased economic activity into the future.

The new scheme is proposed as part of a concerted effort to support the development of rural towns and villages not only as a component of a broader approach to rural development but also to improve the environment of rural dwellers in a way that will increase their quality of life and simultaneously support potential economic activity in their area.