Community Development Projects
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

I do not disagree with the Deputy's analysis. That would be a good investment of EU funds. LEADER is not the only show in town. Since 2020 my Department has allocated in the region of €65 million in funding to Offaly. In 2025 alone we invested €1 million under the LIS, €1.2 million under the town and village renewal scheme, €1.4 million under the community service programme, €420,000 under CLÁR and €440,000 under ORIS. We are investing €12 million under the RRDF to redevelop a site in Edenderry as an art space, community library and youth space. We were with the Deputy in Moneygall for the community centre investment fund investment of €1.8 million. It shows the impact of LEADER, which was the forerunner of many of these funding programmes. The important thing is it has community involvement. It is a bottom-up approach and it is important we protect that ethos. I reiterate the necessity of every Deputy being involved with their MEP colleagues in ensuring LEADER is prioritised in the MFF discussions.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26