Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe uilig agus gabhaim buíochas leo fá choinne a gcur i láthair. I welcome the witnesses to the committee and thank them for the presentations, which are very informative. Later on we will have a session with the insurance company FBD, where we will be able to tease some of this issue out.

I will begin by raising a concern that has been raised with me in County Donegal about the Irish Men's Sheds Association. I also am aware that a number of men's sheds have closed down recently, in Cork for example. Some of the established men's sheds groups have told me that the cost of insurance is a potential contributory factor for them having to make an imminent decision to close their shed. Mr. Sheridan mentioned in his opening statement that there are 400 sheds at present. Arguably, the areas that have a low subscription base, as they do not have the level of population, have a greater need for such a facility in the first place. Will we now see a reverse trend with some sheds having to close?