Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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122. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if future rounds of the local community development programme or Leader programmes will be subject to a competitive tendering process; if so, will private for profit companies be eligible to tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5939/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The successor programme to the current Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP), to be commenced in 2015, will be procured by the Local Community Development Committees to be established in each local authority in line with the EU procurement Directive 2004/18/EC. Therefore a competitive process will be undertaken which will be open to local development companies, other not-for-profit community groups in general and commercial firms that can deliver the services under the programme. My Department has informed stakeholders of the position.

The LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 are subject to European Regulations and in line with those, my Department will later this year be holding a call for submission of Local Development Strategies under which eligible groups submitting strategies must be composed of representatives of public and private local socio-economic interests in which, at the decision-making level, neither public authorities nor any single interest group represents more than 49% of the voting rights.