Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Feighan, was in Cork last week and visited a community garden. He was asked about funding and support for men's sheds and he said money will always be available for community gardens and similar initiatives under Healthy Ireland. If only 20% of these gardens are permanent, are we funding ones that may soon shut? If we are putting funding into gardens that are not permanent, that does not make sense. We want gardens to be permanent and, therefore, as more and more funding is put in, there will be a better community garden and a better green space and it will grow with the community. The Minister of State is saying funding is available, but if 80% of the gardens are not permanent, is that financially prudent given that in one, two, three or ten years in some cases, the community garden will be gone?