Projected expenditure hit in rural areas

THE investment programme for the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (note that the word rural has been dropped from the title) amounts to €463m over the seven years.

But again, it is front-loaded, with planned expenditure of €105m this year, €86m in each of the years to 2013, and only €40m and €30m in each of the last three years.

A substantial part of the investment of this department is through the LEADER Programme, which is co-funded by the European Union. The programme is scheduled to end in 2013, but with expenditure permitted up to 2015.