Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided in 2017 for the County Monaghan Leader programme; the value of the drawdown of this funding by the end of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1615/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a multi-annual programme covering the period 2014-2020, with a total budget of €250 million over that period.  €220 million of this funding has already been allocated to the Local Action Groups throughout the country which deliver the LEADER programme.  The remaining €30 million is available for schemes which will be delivered at a national level.

The Funding Agreement for delivery of the LEADER Programme in the Monaghan area was signed on 8^thJuly 2016, with funding of approximately €7.6 million approved over the lifetime of the programme.  The allocation for each LEADER sub-regional area is provided for the duration of the programme, rather than on an annual basis.  This provides greater flexibility to the Local Action Groups in managing their resources.

Expenditure for 2017 by the Monaghan Local Action Group amounted to €260,822.  This expenditure relates to the costs of the Local Action Group in administering the Programme and engaging with potential applicants.

No project expenditure has yet been incurred in the Monaghan sub-regional area.  However, as of 31^stDecember 2017, 18 projects with a value of over €999,000 had been approved for funding by the Local Action Group.  I understand that a further 4 projects, requesting over €260,000 in funding, are at various stages in the approval process. This funding will be drawn down as projects start to incur expenditure and submit payment claims.

I am confident that progress now being made by the Local Action Groups, along with the administrative improvements I made to the programme in 2017, will result in a continued increase in project approvals and substantial payments under the LEADER programme across all sub-regional areas over the coming months.