Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

431. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the local development companies in Ireland that have a debt from any previous LEADER programme; the financial amount of those debts by company in tabular form; the debt repayment resolutions in place for each company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63064/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The LEADER Programme is one of the key interventions of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development.

The programme is delivered by 29 Local Action Groups across the country which for the most part comprise the Local Community Development Committee as the LAG with the Local Authority as Financial Partner and the Local Development Company (LDC) as Implementing Partner. In four areas the LDC is the LAG in its own right. In previous LEADER programmes the LDC was the LAG responsible for the delivery of the programme in their respective area.

Rigorous compliance checks are in place to ensure the programme is delivered to a high governance standard. In the limited number of cases where a situation occurs that gives rise to a debt, my Department officials engage openly with the LDC concerned with a view to agreeing a mutually acceptable resolution plan.

There are no debts recorded against any LDC during the 2014-2022 programming period. However, there are currently debts recorded against three LDCs from the previous LEADER programme. A debt repayment plan, which is the subject of a High Court confidentiality clause, is in place and being adhered to in respect of one of the LDCs. In the case of the other two LDCs my Department officials are engaging with the companies concerned with a view to agreeing a resolution plan.

Table 1 below gives details of the outstanding debts in respect of these two LDCs.

I am satisfied that sufficient controls are currently in place that minimises the risk of debts arising into the future.

Table 1 - Local Development Companies with debts outstanding under the LEADER programme