Written answers

Thursday, 24 May 2018

Department of Rural and Community Development

Rural Development Programme Data

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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205. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the financial allocations on an annual basis under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 per measure 19, support for Leader local development; the annual amount expended on the programme in each year of the RDP and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23032/18]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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LEADER, which is referred to at EU level as Measure 19, forms part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and has a total budget of €250 million over the period in question.  €220 million of this funding has been allocated to the Local Action Groups (LAGs) throughout the country who deliver the LEADER programme.  The remaining €30 million is available for schemes which will be delivered at a national level.

The €220 million funding which has been allocated to the LAGs is provided for the duration of the Programme, rather than on an annual basis.  This provides greater flexibility to the LAGs in managing their resources.

Table 1 details the funding allocations provided to LAGs by county under the 2014-2020 LEADER programme.  The LEADER areas are, in the main, aligned with the county boundaries.  However, County Cork includes three LEADER sub-regional areas.

Table 2 details the overall expenditure incurred each year to date under the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme.

Expenditure under the programme commenced in 2015 and, for that year, relates to preparatory support payments for the preparation of Local Development Strategies.  Funding Agreements for the current LEADER programme were, for the most part, signed with the LAGs in the second half of 2016 and the programme effectively became operational from that date from the point of view of project commencement.

Expenditure under the Programme to date includes the cost incurred by the LAGs to develop their Local Development Strategies, the administration costs of the LAGs and the cost of their engagement with communities to generate projects, and expenditure on individual projects.  

Project approvals under LEADER have increased significantly and I understand that a total of 973 projects have been approved by the LAGs, with a combined value of approximately €28 million.  A further 342 projects with a combined value of €19 million are currently within the approvals process. The level of expenditure under the programme is therefore expected to increase significantly as payment claims are submitted to my Department through the LAGs in respect of these projects.  

Table 1: LEADER 2014-2020 Allocations per County

CountyProgramme Allocation

(€)
Carlow6,416,803.43
Cavan8,522,285.84
Clare8,920,224.65
Cork13,938,823.22
Donegal12,913,877.86
Dublin6,370,438.43
Galway  12,195,883.61
Kerry10,219,868.29
Kildare5,261,600.01
Kilkenny7,791,572.91
Laois7,124,586.86
Leitrim5,998,474.74
Limerick9,276,593.96
Longford7,597,623.07
Louth6,101,862.01
Mayo11,121,431.88
Meath6,903,123.57
Monaghan7,592,719.51
Offaly8,036,763.90
Roscommon8,852,659.22
Sligo7,655,647.81
Tipperary10,103,443.28
Waterford7,522,796.18
Westmeath7,384,206.22
Wexford9,840,140.56
Wicklow6,336,549.00
TOTAL€220,000,000

Table 2: LEADER 2014-2020 Expenditure broken down per year

YearTotal
2015€1,251,185.25
2016€1,260,920.54
2017 €12,123,851.06
2018 (to date)€4,834,479.23

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