Conor D McGuinness warns over LEADER fund cuts and CAP reconfiguration

Minister, Leader has been cut in 2024-2025 and now we see a cut in the budget for next year and I suppose I'd like to see what the rationale is for that and a breakdown of what will be affected from that cut. I think it's in the order of €10 million that the Leader Fund is cut for next year and obviously that has to be seen in the broader reconfiguration of CAP happening at European level and I would say the Irish government's failure to really, and this is bigger than just your department obviously, it's being led by the Department of Agriculture, but failure to come to terms with that and to exert influence at European level to ensure that rural development funding and indeed other measures are protected within that reconfiguration. But I also think this is part of a direction of travel here in Ireland where we see a divestment in rural communities by successive governments from 2014 on where we have seen the changes to the Leader Programme and, as my colleague Deputy Bennett has said, this year-on-year cut to Leader Funding. We can dress it up as being about transitional periods and an envelope of funding that lasts, but in real terms we are seeing cuts year-on-year. Minister? Minister? Firstly, you can't talk about Leader Cuts without ignoring the fact that there are a whole range of new programmes that have been invested, RRDF, TVRS, RS, CCIF, that now are in place, that were not in place over many of the years of the Leader Programme, that are now fulfilling many of the duties that Leader did. Leader is not cut, Deputy, for next year. We will spend the full allocation during the course of the Leader Programme. The remaining £180 million has been allocated for the period 2023 to 2027, and that maintains the funding and programme with the previous programme. I am confident we will absolutely spend that full £180 million. The approvals are currently slow, as has been always the method, and I think we will ensure that allocations are in place. I am working in a post-2027 scenario. That is why I have had meetings with MEPs. I would encourage you to do the same in terms of looking at that cross-European support, that we need to have a Leader Programme funded separately under the CAAT measure. I think that is important. The MEP has left me under no illusion last week as to the challenges in relation to the MFF and funding. Minister, thank you for that. I am relaying the fears of my knowledge and technology. All right. I am learning for the team. I am very interested to know. I am traveling for the team while working with his staff, my staff, my staff, my team, and my team. I am helping my team to support every team in the team. I am also about to settle for the tech members from the team. I am personally willing to help me through the coaching staff, that I am feeling my staff, in terms with inner and personal planning staff. I am, we don't have a number of your staff, but I am a huge fan of our team. I am so very much in the team. We are always about your boss. I am trying to let people do the team. I am to it. I am instantly through the team, though I am considered his team. I am to help you. I am happy to get around like that. I am feeling my staff. I am