Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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163. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which his Department will interact with the Leader programme when identifying suitable projects for attention and support in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19291/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The LEADER programme comes under my Department’s remit and is administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver funding in accordance with Local Development Strategies that have been agreed for each LAG area.

LEADER has a total budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020. €220 million of this funding has already been allocated to the LAGs covering 28 LEADER sub-regional areas throughout the country. The balance of €30 million in funding is available for schemes which will be selected at a national level based on submissions from the Local Action Groups.

Each LAG is responsible for deciding how their allocation is distributed to LEADER projects over the duration of the programme, based on the objectives in their Local Development Strategies. Project applications are made to, and approved by, the relevant LAG in each LEADER area.

To date, more than 900 projects with a value of over €27 million have been approved for LEADER funding by the LAGs. A further 320 projects requesting over €17 million 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 anticipate that there will be a significant increase in project expenditure over the course of 2018 and into 2019 based on the progress which has been made by the LAGs in approving projects in recent months. My Department has also introduced a number of administrative improvements to the LEADER programme which will also assist LAGs and project promoters in their delivery of the programme.