Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2015
223. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the new Leader programme will become operational; the total funding that will be allocated to the Cavan Monaghan Leader programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3041/15]
View answerMy Department is currently working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the European Commission to finalise the text of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) with a view to commencing the LEADER Local Development Strategy (LDS) selection process in the early part of 2015. The overall budget for the LEADER element of the RDP is €250m.
In this context and coupled with the need to ensure sufficient budgetary resources to Local Action Groups (LAGS) to facilitate full and effective implementation of LEADER LDS Ireland will apportion the overall programme complement of €250 million on the basis of 28 sub-regional administrative areas using evidence based open and transparent criteria. These 28 areas consist largely of areas defined by the county boundaries including both Cavan and Monaghan. There are two exceptions due to population size: Dublin, where the rural areas of the whole of Dublin County will make up one sub-regional area for LEADER purposes, and Cork, where three sub-regional areas will be required for LEADER purposes.
The LEADER LDS selection process will be open and transparent and will consist of two separate stages providing the opportunity for all interested LAGs to participate. Stage one, a call for Expressions of Interest to design and implement LEADER Local Development Strategies for the 2014-2020 programme period, will commence shortly. This stage will be open to any entity that can show broad local and community participation and that has a coherent vision for the development of their area. Interested groups will also be asked to outline the preparatory resources they may require in order to support the design and development of their LDS.
While the Government's preferred outcome is one LDS for each area, there will be no limit on the number of LAGs that can express an interest from within a sub-regional area. The EOIs will be evaluated and entities selected to develop prospective LDSs by an independent Evaluation Committee, comprising an independent chair, my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine along with external rural and local development expertise. In addition, my Department is developing operational procedures and systems in order to ensure full compliance with EU and National rules and regulations. Notwithstanding the level of work to be done in advance of the programme becoming operational I expect that the programme will be in a position to start accepting funding applications by mid-2015.
