Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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88. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of projects applied for and approved under the Leader programme to date in County Clare; the number of applications being processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38321/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a multi-annual programme for the period 2014-2020 which has a total budget of €250 million over the programming period. The programme is administered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver funding in accordance with Local Development Strategies (LDS) that have been agreed for each LEADER sub-regional area.

To date, 89 projects with a combined grant amount of over €1.7 million have been approved in County Clare, with a further 12 applications seeking funding of over €400,000 currently at various stages in the approvals process.

I am confident that the progress now being made by the LAGs in approving projects, along with the administrative improvements which my Department introduced over the last year, will result in a continued increase in project approvals and payments under the LEADER programme in all LAG areas, including County Clare, over the coming months.