Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by the Leader programme administrators in County Kildare who are concerned regarding a financial shortfall; if she can make provision to address the issues of concern; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21635/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In line with a commitment in Our Rural Future, I launched the Transitional LEADER Programme which came into effect from 1 April 2021 and will run to the end of 2022. A total of €70 million is being made available over this programming period. €65 million of this budget is available to LAGs who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level.  This allocation covers both core project expenditure and the administration and animation costs of the LAGs.

On 9 April last year, my Department released the individual LAG allocations for the transitional period. These enhanced allocations provided certainty to all LAGs and their Implementing Partners for profiling their administration, animation and project expenditure for 2021 and 2022.

In situations where the LAGs administration and animation allocations are utilised, I approved additional funding in this area, subject to a maximum monthly contribution from the Exchequer, the limits of which were also notified to each LAG at that time.  This notification outlined the specific arrangements with regards to administration and animation Exchequer funding for LAGs. As these amounts notified are the maximum monthly contribution from the Exchequer, LAGs and their Implementing Partners were advised to review their administration and animation expenditure requirements so as to ensure that they are able to operate within their allocated budgets and to take corrective action in advance where required. 

Therefore, should the Kildare LAG utilise all its administration and animation programme funding, my Department will be providing a maximum monthly contribution of €24,359 from the Exchequer towards the administration and animation costs incurred. This contribution is based on the average monthly administration and animation allocation over the period July 2016 to December 2020 as outlined to the LAGs in April 2021. There is no provision for this level of funding to be increased.

The process of finalising the arrangements for the new LEADER programme is ongoing in consultation with the EU Commission and stakeholders.  This process will include arrangements for the allocation of funding across LEADER areas under the new LEADER programme.  The draft CAP Strategic Plan includes an allocation of €180m for the new LEADER programme for the period 2023-2027.  This brings the total allocation for the 2021-2027 period to €250m, which maintains the LEADER allocation from the previous 2014-2020 programming period.