Ní Riada - ‘LEADER not a slush fund for government’
MEP ALSO SAYS APPLICATION PROCESS HAS BECOME “NEEDLESSLY COMPLICATED AND BUREAUCRATIC ‘
THE Sinn Féin MEP for Ireland South, Liadh Ní Riada, has said changes to the process for seeking funding under the LEADER programme is putting off applicants.
Ms Ní Riada has also said there was a growing feeling among community groups that the government was using the scheme as a “slush fund” for other projects.
Her comments came after it emerged that €10 million was reallocated from the LEADER budget to pay for measures under the government Local Improvement Scheme.
“For the past year now I have been meeting with community groups across the country about the difficulty they have been experiencing in accessing LEADER funding following the changes that were made to the application process,” said Ms Ní Riada.
“Everywhere I have been the story has been the same. The process has become needlessly complicated and bureaucratic.”
The MEP said that she raised LEADER with representatives from the European Commission and the European Court of Auditors during a recent trip to Brussels with representatives of community groups from across the State.
“They assured us they had in no way imposed these stringent new checks on the Irish government and had, in fact, asked that the process be as simple and straightforward as possible,” said Ms Ní Riada.
She said there was a “growing suspicion” among community groups that the government had “deliberately” made the changes to the application process in order to siphon funds from LEADER to other projects.
“LEADER is a lifeline for rural areas. It was designed to give rural communities the tools they needed to build the facilities and services they required. It gives communities a real say over the projects being carried out and a sense of ownership over those projects when they are completed,” said Ms Ní Riada.
0“It is about self-respect, civic engagement and quality of life. It is not a slush fund to be used by Government when they have failed to balance the books properly,” she added.