Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the rules and requirements for LEADER 5 do not deter individuals and businesses from pursuing applications under that scheme.

LEADER funding is delivered through 80 LEADER Local Action Groups (LAGs). LAGs can fund a wide range of projects under a broad set of priorities that is consistent across England. From this, LAGs have developed their own local plans to meet local needs.

Defra and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will, with representatives of LAGs, continue to review lessons learned from implementation of the current programme. This includes looking at the potential to simplify and streamline the application process for applicants, LAGs and the RPA.