Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the maximum grant allowed for any project under the Leader programme 2014-2020; the maximum rate of grant available for projects; the restrictions that will apply to any matching State or local authority funding for the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30133/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The maximum grant allowed and the maximum rate of grant available for projects under the LEADER 2014-2020 Programme are set out in Table 1.

In addition, it is expected that funding of up to €500,000 will be permitted for certain categories of community projects that are not considered to involve State Aid. These categories include projects seeking to develop cultural and leisure facilities (such as community and recreational infrastructure), and projects seeking to enhance the attractiveness of small towns and villages, such as the upgrade of parks or river walks. Final confirmation of the funding limits applicable to these categories will shortly be made available to LEADER Local Action Groups.

Matching funding from public funded sources is permitted, provided it is not derived from another EU fund. The use of public matching funding is subject to a number of conditions which include the following:

- only applications submitted by community bodies are eligible;

- the overall level of public funding (including the EU contribution) does not exceed 95% of the total eligible project cost;

- there must be a minimum cashcontribution (i.e. private matching funding element) of at least 5% of total eligible project costs; and

- the public bodies providing the matching funds must not be the project applicant or beneficiary.

Table 1 - Summary of Current Funding Ceilings and Support Rates