Leader groups funding
Deputy Collins asked what progress had been made on competitive capital funding for Leader groups and also queried the number of Government Bills to be passed this year. The Minister said he would get the figures and outlined the Government's view that funding should be spent and the programme reviewed in light of its success.
The programme for Government contains a commitment to "make available more competitive capital funding to allow Leader groups bid for additional resources for projects that best support rural economic development". What progress has the Government made to date in meeting this commitment? How many Government Bills will have been passed by the end of the year?
Comment on this
I will get the information for which the Deputy asked in the second question. I was very involved in the discussions on the part of the programme for Government that refers to Leader groups. The Government's view was that overall funding for Leader groups in the last round of funding should be reduced.
There is a new structure in place with much more integration with local government in terms of decision making and, as such, we have said to Leader groups that we should get on and spend the money that is available for the Leader programme. We have said the Government will look at the success of that programme with a view to increasing the funding for it over time. For the moment, most of those programmes are only getting up and running in the last number of weeks. Let us spend the money that is there and we can add to that if the schemes are successful.