Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there are grants that a limited company with charitable status can apply for in order to improve a recreational area (details supplied); if so, if the grants are available now or in the near future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32178/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Funding may be available through the LEADER Programme for the type of project referred to by the Deputy.

LEADER is a multi-annual programme covering the period 2014-2020 which is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the country. To date, over 3,400 core projects have been approved under the current programme, for funding of almost €137 million.  

Funding is provided under a broad range of themes, including enterprise development and social inclusion. The Social Inclusion theme of the LEADER programme focuses on the provision of services for people living in rural and remote areas and, in that context, support for the works outlined by the Deputy could potentially be considered eligible for LEADER funding.

In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER funding, it must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved Local Development Strategy for the relevant LEADER area, and it must comply with the Operating Rules and EU Regulations in place for the programme. 

The decision to approve a project, or otherwise, is a matter for the LAG which administers the programme in each LEADER area.  Interested applicants should, in the first instance, contact the relevant LAG through its Implementing Partner to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available.

The list of all Local Action Groups, their Implementing Partners and their contact details, is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/c45498-local-action-groups.