Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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601. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of funding allocated for grants under the fisheries local area group development 2016-2023 for 2020; the actual amount of funding allocation that has been issued to date; and the remaining amount for 2020. [13387/20]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Our seven Fisheries Local Action Groups have been allocated a total of €12 million to disperse to their FLAG territories over the course of the EMFF Programme.  The seven FLAGs were established in 2017 and by end 2019 had paid out some €6.6 million in grants.  BIM anticipates that beneficiaries will draw down further funds in 2020 from existing outstanding grant awards, while I expect to announce the first grant awards of 2020 in the coming weeks.  Figures are not yet available in respect of those new grant awards.  The FLAG scheme will continue to operate in 2021 until its full €12 million allocation is exhausted. 

My Department is at present in the process of developing the next Programme for the 2021 to 2027 period under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, which is still being negotiated by the EU Co-legislators.  I anticipate that FLAGs will again have an important role in that next Programme.