Action soon on LEADER development groups
The funding available for the delivery of LEADER-type activities under the Rural Development Programme for Ireland 2007–13 will amount to €425.4 million — almost treble the €150m available for the 2000–06 period.
He intends to have his revision of areas of coverage for LEADER and partnership groups completed before rolling out the LEADER scheme’s €425.4m funding and said he is satisfied there will be no loss to community or development groups due to the delay of the six-year scheme.
His revision will reduce the overall number of local development bodies from 94 to 55, comprising of 17 partnerships in urban areas and 38 integrated LEADER-Partnership bodies in rural areas.
Local development bodies are in place in 50 of the 55 operational areas agreed by Government.
The minister was responding in the Dáil to Seymour Crawford, TD, who asked when the rural development programme which Minister Ó Cuív announced in 2005 would be put into operation.
