Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas.

The process to select the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme is ongoing at present and the Local Development Strategies which were submitted by the applicant LAGs are currently being assessed.

To date LAGs in twelve sub-regional areas have been advised that their application has been approved by the Independent Selection Committee (ISC) established to adjudicate on the strategies submitted by the applicant groups. Strategies in the remaining areas are being considered by the ISC on an ongoing basis with a view to completing the selection of the remaining LAGs at an early date. All applicant LAGs will be notified of the outcome of the selection process in their sub-regional area as they are approved. Once a LAG is approved it can commence the delivery of the programme in their area.

While the process to select the LAGs is ongoing at the moment it should be noted that those bodies engaged in delivering the 2014-2022 programme will continue to do so in 2024 until the completion of that programme.

My Department’s focus now is to complete the selection of the remaining LAGs to ensure a timely and smooth transition from the 2014-2020 programme.