The LEADER programme is a key rural development for supporting the economic, social and environmental development of our communities and provides the resources necessary for rural communities to support their own development and create capacity at local level. For more than 30 years, this LEADER programme, delivered by the local development companies, has maximised the drawdown of the money available and the impact of the EU funds to create jobs in rural Ireland and develop rural communities in keeping with the LEADER approach. This programme has been evaluated as an excellent and successful funding mechanism by the European Union institutions.

The aim of the LEADER programme 2023 to 2027, as identified in the draft CAP strategic plan, is to continue to support community-led local development and this approach to rural development, by animating and funding initiatives that emerge at local level to address local challenges and needs. It is very worrying to think that the draft CAP strategic plan, which is now out there in the domain, is allocating an indicative budget of €180 million. This is a reduction of €250 million from the previous programme and €425 million from the 2013 programme.

Many rural communities have benefitted enormously from this LEADER programme. We are flying in the face of rural development and the rural future if we reduce the LEADER funding, when we have highlighted it in Our Rural Future as a key enabler to developing rural Ireland. Many people have benefited and many jobs have been created throughout the country from this. Even in the Tánaiste's time as Minister for Social Protection, he saw some of the great work that was being done as he travelled the country.

It is important we look at this funding and how much money we are now giving out, bearing in mind that inflation has not been taken into account. If one adds up what is happening here, we are less than halving the funding available in the next five years from what was available in 2009 to 2013. It is worrying and a wrong indication to be giving. I ask the Tánaiste to look at the funding and look to make sure we are providing an adequate source of funding to a scheme that is successful, has the management skills from the local development companies on the ground, has built up the expertise and is creating real changes in our communities.

I thank Deputy Canney for raising the important issue of LEADER programmes. All of us in this House are fully aware of the value and impact of the LEADER programme in towns, villages and parishes across Ireland and especially rural Ireland. Having had the opportunity to travel to most parts of the country, from Caherlistrane to Cahersiveen, I have seen first-hand the positive impact LEADER funding has on communities and I am pleased to see that a small, rural part of my constituency, the Westmanstown and Strawberry Beds area, will be included in the LEADER programme for the next period.

As we know, it is a locally-led, bottom-up scheme which meets the needs of local communities and businesses. The bottom-up approach has formed part of the policy framework for rural development in Ireland since its inception in the early 1990s and will continue to be an important element of Ireland's new Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan. The Department of Rural and Community Development, under the leadership of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is engaged in designing a new LEADER programme as part of the CAP strategic plan, CSP, for 2023 to 2027 and stakeholder consultation will be an important element of this.

In the 2014 to 2020 CAP programme period, €250 million was allocated to LEADER. From the period 2021 to 2027, this funding allocation will be maintained. This is comprised of €70 million being provided from the transitional period from 2021-22 and the recently announced indicative allocation of €180 million for the period 2022 to 2027. Rather than a decrease in LEADER funding, the Department of Rural and Community Development would strongly argue we are ring-fencing funding at €250 million and that is evidence of the Government's continued commitment to the programme.

The Government will continue to invest in rural Ireland and rural development. Capital funding allocations for the Department of Rural and Community Development have seen an increase from €88 million in 2018, when the Department was formed, to €205 million in 2025, under the national development plan. It is important to acknowledge we can fund rural development through many programmes and not just LEADER and that more than doubling of funding from 2018 to 2025 is in an indication of that.

The Tánaiste is taking some figures and telling me that €250 million is available in the programme, but when one takes the yearly average over seven years, the average annual allocation in the proposed CAP will be €36 million. In 2014 to 2020, it was €50 million per annum. The Tánaiste said he is including the two transition years so it is a seven-year span. Effectively, we are in reduction mode. What will that mean? It will mean that rural communities will be deprived of critical capacity-building supports and funding for vital enterprise, tourism and community-led projects. More than 5,000 projects have been supported in the most recent programme period. Weaker communities and certain groups will be left behind, including youth, women, older people and many social enterprises, which LEADER has been able to support to date. We need to look at the figures of how much will be given per annum over the next five years.

Some €70 million has been allocated to the transitional programme for LEADER for 2021-22. This transitional funding is in place due to delays at EU level in agreeing the new regulations for the CAP period running to 2027 and it has been ensured there is no gap in LEADER funding or provision due to the delay in agreeing the new CAP. An additional indicative indication of €180 million for LEADER has recently been announced, bringing the total allocation for 2021 to 2027 to €250 million. The Department of Rural and Community Development continues to invest heavily in rural Ireland and rural development and it is important we acknowledge that rural programmes are funded from many different schemes. LEADER is one, a very important one, but just one of those schemes. The budget for 2022 sees an increase in funding for rural development in the round, with some €200 million in funding being allocated to the Department's programmes. These include town and village renewal, CLÁR, ARAS, LEADER, the walks scheme and of course, the rural development fund. Under the national development plan, Project Ireland 2040, capital funding for the Department will be almost €600 million for the period running from 2023 to 2025, the remainder of this Government's term in office.