Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU that operates a locally-led, bottom-up approach to meeting the needs of local communities and businesses. The programme supports private enterprises and community groups in rural areas.

From 2007 to 2020 the LEADER programme was included in the suite of measures that constituted Ireland’s Rural Development Programme. The Rural Development Programmes, agreed by each Member State with the EU Commission, were designed to correspond to specified Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) programming periods. The CAP programming periods in turn correspond to the EU's budgetary cycle. The Rural Development Programme has now been replaced by each Member State’s CAP Strategic Plan.

The previous CAP programming period ran from 2014-2020 with a transitional programme operating in the years 2021 and 2022 as the CAP Regulations were being agreed and finalised at EU level. Throughout this time the LEADER Local Action Groups (LAGs) accepted and approved funding applications from prospective applicants with the final date for project approvals set at 31 December 2023.

The current CAP programming period will run from 2023-2027 and it is expected that arrangements will be agreed at EU level for a successor programme to commence thereafter. The 2023-2027 LEADER programme is now operational and prospective applicants can apply for funding under the programme by contacting their LAG to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available. The contact details for the Local Action Group in Clare are as follows:

Phone: 065 6866800

General Email: info@cldc.ie

Address: Unit 1, Westgate Business Park, Kilrush Road, Ennis, Co. Clare.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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2048.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for a list of organisations who have made funding applications to her Department between 2020 and 2024; the schemes they have applied for; whether they were successful or not and if successful, the amount of the award, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35116/24]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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2049.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for a list of community organisations from Wexford who have made funding applications to her Department between 2020 and 2024; the schemes they have applied for; whether they were successful or not, and if successful, the amount of the award, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35119/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2048 and 2049 together.

My Department operates a large number of schemes aimed at supporting both rural development and community development. In order to empower local responses to local needs, the majority of schemes operated by my Department are administered in partnership with the Local Authorities, Pobal, or the Local Development Companies.

The main rural development programmes provided by my Department are:

• Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF),
• LEADER,
• Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS),
• Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS),
• Local Improvement Scheme (LIS),
• CLÁR programme, and
• Support for Islands transport services and capital works.

Key community development schemes include:

• Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP),
• Community Services Programme (CSP),
• Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF),
• Community Recognition Fund (CRF),
• Libraries Development, and
• Local Enhancement Programme (LEP)/Community Enhancement Programme (CEP).

Where schemes involve an application and assessment process, the terms and conditions include that information on successful applications will be published, however, information on unsuccessful applicants is not published.

My Department has provided thousands of individual grants since its establishment in 2017. Full details of the funding provided to successful organisations is published on my Department’s website. Links to information and grantees for a number of the main schemes is provided below.

• TheRural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF)is a key capital investment scheme which directly supports the objectives of Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy. To date, funding of €577 million has been allocated to 245 projects worth €768 million. The detail in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/7be140-test/
• TheTown and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS)is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme over €177 million has been allocated to more than 1,800 projects across Ireland. The detail in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/0012f5-town-and-village-renewal-scheme/
• TheOutdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS)provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways and blue ways throughout rural Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme in 2016, funding of almost €129 million has supported 1,776 projects across the country. The detail in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/90a66b-approved-funding-for-outdoor-recreation-projects/
• TheCLÁR Programmeprovides funding for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. Since the CLÁR programme was reintroduced in 2016, funding of over €70 million has been approved for almost 2,400 projects. The detail in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/91ba52-clar/
• TheCommunity Centres Investment Fundis the largest ever capital investment in Community Centres. It provides funding for investments in Community Centres to ensure these vital services remain useable, accessible, and safe and continue to meet the needs of the community into the future. The detail in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/3a8bd-community-centre-investment-fund-successful-projects/
• TheLEADER programmeis based on a community-led approach to rural development and plays an important role in supporting communities and enterprises in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level. Details in relation to projects funded under LEADER is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/b849be-local-action-groups-approved-projects-2014-2020/
• TheConnected Hubs fundinvested €14 million in almost 200 projects between 2021 and 2022, enabling successful applicants to add additional capacity to existing remote working infrastructure in digital hubs and Broadband Connection Points throughout the country. Details in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county are set out at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/49822-2021-connected-hubs-fund-successful-applicants/
• TheCommunity Recognition Fundwas first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Through the 2023 allocation, funding of €50 million was approved for some 900 projects in support cities, towns and villages nationwide. Based on the continued impacts on communities throughout the country and the need to support these communities in welcoming new arrivals, a further €50 million is being provided under the Community Recognition Fund 2024. Details in relation to the projects awarded funding in each county are set out at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/e626a-community-recognition-fund-2023/#2023-community-recognition-fund-approvals
• TheLocal Enhancement Programme(LEP) which replaces my Department’s Community Enhancement Programme was launched last December with capital funding of €6 million to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Since 2018, my Department has allocated €58.9 million in funding under the Community Enhancement Programme and its iterations for local community groups. Past projects supported by the programme include Women’s Sheds, Men’s Sheds, operating costs and minor capital works. Details of the 2024 LEP allocations are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/106e1-ministers-humphreys-and-obrien-announce-6-million-department-of-rural-community-development-local-enhancement-programme-2024/

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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2050.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to counties Offaly and Laois through the LEADER Programme for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35338/24]

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 and is delivered at local level by Local Action Groups (LAGs).

There were 122 projects approved in Laois under the LEADER programme for the period of 2020 to 2023 for over €5.7 million. There were, for the same period, 180 projects approved for Offaly for over €5.1 million. This programme closed for approvals at the end of 2023.

The 2023-2027 LEADER programme has now commenced in counties Laois and Offaly. The LAGs in these areas are in the early stages of implementation which involves engaging with their respective communities and working with them to develop their project proposals. As such, the level of project approvals to date in 2024 is understandably low but I look forward to seeing progress in this area over the coming months. To date, in 2024, there are three projects approved for the Offaly sub-regional area and there are, as yet, no projects approved for Laois.

The annual breakdown for both Offaly and Laois are in table 1 below.

Table 1: Project approvals under LEADER for Laois and Offaly sub-regional areas for the years 2020-2023 and to date in 2024