Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1166. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount allocated to each LAG under the 2014-2020 LEADER programme; the amount expended annually under the 2014-2020 LEADER programme in each LAG; the percentage of the total spend to date out of the amount allocated to each LAG for the programme period; the amount expended to date in each LAG on project costs, administrative costs and other costs, by each LAG in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6257/20]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a total budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020.  €225 million of this funding has been allocated as core funding to the Local Action Groups (LAGs) throughout the country who deliver the LEADER programme. This funding is allocated to the LAGs for the full period of the programme.

The remaining €25 million is available for thematic schemes to be delivered at a national level and is allocated as projects are approved.  

Table 1 below provides details of all payments made to the LAGs on an annual basis.

Table 2 below provides details of:

- The budget allocations to the LAGs under the LEADER 2014-2020 programme, and

- The total spend by the LAGs broken down by:

- the cost of developing their Local Development Strategies at the outset of the programme (preparatory support); 

- expenditure incurred on administration and on supporting the development of LEADER projects (administration & animation);

- funding provided to LEADER projects; and

- total spend expressed as a percentage of each LAG's budget allocation.

While the overall spend to date is 43% of the total allocation available to the LAGs, there continues to be a consistent increase in project payments over previous years. Over 1,400 project promoters, or 50%, have now received a Final Payment in respect of their project. 

Project approvals have also steadily increased, with 2,911 projects approved to date to a value of over €112 million.  A further 401 projects, requesting funding of almost €28 million, are at earlier stages in the approvals process.Project payments under the programme will continue to increase as approved works are completed and claims for payment submitted.  Payments can continue to be made beyond the 2014-2020 LEADER programming period in respect of projects approved before the end of 2020.

The figures provided do not include payments made under thematic schemes which are funded outside of the core budget allocated to each LAG. 

Table 1: LEADER payments to LAGs for the period 2015-2020

Table 2: LEADER expenditure data as of 18 May 2020 

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1167. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of projects approved to date by each LAG under the 2014-2020 LEADER programme; and the number of approved projects that have received and not received project funding, respectively in tabular form. [6258/20]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a multi-annual programme which has a total budget of €250 million over the period to the end of 2020.  €225 million of this funding has been allocated as core funding to each of the individual Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver LEADER. The remaining €25 million is available for schemes to be delivered at a national level and is allocated as projects are approved.

Table 1 below provides a breakdown of the number of core projects approved by each Local Action Group to date, as well as the number of approved projects which have received at least one payment, and the number of projects where no payment has yet issued.

Funding is drawn down as the projects start to incur expenditure and the project promoter submits claims for payment to the LAGs. The approved works, or phases of works, must be completed by the project promoter prior to any final or phased payments being made.  A project promoter can opt to receive payment in one full final payment or up to five phased payments.  It should also be noted that payments can continue to be drawn down after the end of the 2014-2020 LEADER programming period by projects which have been approved before the end of 2020.

Over 1,400, or 50%, of project promoters have now received a Final Payment in respect of their project.

The level of project activity under the LEADER programme continues to increase and, to date, 2,911 core projects have been approved for funding of over €112 million.  A further 401 project applications, with a value of almost €29 million, are at various stages in the approval process.

In addition to the figures provided on the table below, over 150 LEADER Food Initiative and Co-operation projects have been approved at national level under the thematic schemes referred to above.

Table 1: LEADER core project approvals and payments issued as of 18 May, 2020, by LAG