The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan T.D, today (21 May 2013), announced the notification to Local Development Company (LDCs) of their revised allocations under the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP). This announcement releases the remaining €70 million of the revised Programme which is estimated at €370 million and includes both funding for projects and LDC administration.
The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government recently completed a full review of expenditure under the LEADER elements of the RDP. As a first step the Minister released €42 million worth of projects which had been approved by the Boards of the LDCs. Unfortunately only €25.5 million in that category had all the necessary approvals in place to proceed to contract. The balance of the €42m is now being redistributed nationally as part of the revised allocations.
The Minister said “I am delighted to be able to announce the release of the remaining €70 million in financial resources under the RDP to rural communities all over Ireland. I have no doubt that the LEADER element of the RDP will continue to provide the resources and support necessary to facilitate the continued sustainable development of rural communities in these difficult times. The Programme not only facilitates the development of small scale community infrastructure to ensure a strong community foundation for a healthy rural economy but it also provides vital support for rural entrepreneurship and in this context has the capacity to support the creation of sustainable jobs in rural Ireland”.
Of this €70 million, €6 million has been ring-fenced for the Gaeltacht areas formally served by Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta.
The LEADER elements of the RDP have already provided significant financial resources to communities and individuals all over rural Ireland since it commenced in 2009. To date over €126 million has been provided to community and private promoters with approximately a further €113 million in commitments yet to be drawn down. The funding released today will ensure that the Programme can continue to provide such resources which are critical to rural communities in these difficult economic times.
In making the announcement the Minister reiterated his commitment to ensure the maximum impact for the funding by stating that “my Department will continue to work with the Local Development Companies delivering this funding to ensure that only the best projects with the highest impact are funded. It is our joint responsibility to maximize the impact of every single euro while supporting the continued and sustainable development of rural communities and providing critical support for rural entrepreneurship into the future”
Contact details for the Local Development Companies contracted to deliver the RDP funding can be found on the Departments website at
www.environ.ie
The table below sets out the revised allocation per LDC:
Local Development Company
Revised RDP Allocation for 2009-2013
Avondhu/ Blackwater Partnership Limited
€7,251,112
Ballyhoura Development Limited
€18,502,053
Carlow County Development Partnership Limited
€7,444,015
Cavan Partnership Ltd. & County Monaghan Area Partnership
€9,923,866
Clare Local Development Company Limited
€16,175,841
Comhar na nOileáin Teoranta
€6,825,171
Donegal Local Development Company Limited
€12,775,727
Fingal LEADER Partnership
€6,217,667
FORUM Connemara
€7,734,929
Galway Rural Development Company Limited
€12,211,887
Inishowen Development Partnership
€7,410,663
I.R.D. Duhallow
€12,839,050
Kildare (Cill Dara ar Aghaidh Teoranta)
€10,642,073
County Kilkenny LEADER Partnership Limited
€13,319,465
Laois Community & Enterprise Development Company Limited
€9,465,731
Leitrim Integrated Development Company
€10,257,659
Longford Community Resources Limited
€7,026,574
Louth LEADER Partnership
€7,075,178
Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company Teoranta
€9,535,062
Meath Partnership
€15,051,583
North & East Kerry LEADER Partnership Teoranta
€8,937,452
North Tipperary LEADER Partnership Company
€12,917,884
Offaly Integrated Local Development Company
€10,828,856
Roscommon Integrated Development Company
€11,230,957
County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company
€9,788,645
South East Cork Area Development Limited
€10,532,187
South Kerry Development Partnership Limited
€9,998,740
South Tipperary Local Development Company Limited
€12,405,282
South West Mayo Development Company Limited
€10,361,827
Waterford LEADER Partnership Limited
€11,177,988
West Cork Development Partnership
€12,465,076
West Limerick Resources
€9,007,256
Westmeath Community Development
€8,798,346
Wexford Local Development
€11,583,749
Wicklow Partnership
€8,908,698