Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The local improvement scheme, LIS, has been important in many rural areas, including the Minister's, mine and those of other members. Will the Minister provide an update on efforts to secure an allocation to the LIS from the Department of Transport? That would make perfect sense to many of us. Work was under way in the Department of Rural and Community Development to identify the number of applications outstanding, local authority by local authority. Does the Minister have an update on that and what work will be done this year?

The allocation for LEADER in the Revised Estimate for 2023 is less that it was last year. It has fallen from €52,000 to €46,000, which is a loss of €6,000. Will the Minister comment on that?

Funding was recently announced for men's and women's sheds, which is very welcome. That funding will be distributed via the Irish Men's Sheds Association. Will there be an opportunity for sheds operating outside the association? I do not know how many there are but an issue has been raised with me concerning men's sheds that do not come under that association. Is there a way to get this important funding to them?

Men's sheds are very important, more so now as we come out of Covid-19. They are especially important in rural areas where many men are isolated. They may be living on their own and perhaps they used to go to the pub but cannot get to the pub and back home as easily as in the past. Men's sheds are an important outlet for these men. Will consideration be given to reintroducing the specific funding stream that was in place previously? Men's sheds are applying for funding here, there and everywhere, crossing their fingers and hoping to get it. Some of the funding streams are complex and it is hard to get applications right and in on time. There are difficulties with that. The men's sheds initiative is so important that there should be a specific funding stream in place, as there was previously, and they should be supported with guaranteed funding, rather than having open to them only a possibility of funding. In some cases, they have no luck at all with funding.

I welcome the community recognition fund. Is there a timeline for it? Allocations will be given to local authorities but is there a timeline for when those allocations will be made and payments will begin to filter down to communities? In my home town, Ballaghaderreen, there are international protection families, Ukrainians, Afghanis and Syrians. Supports are needed for towns like Ballaghaderreen, which, to date, have not seen any. Syrian refugees arrived in 2017 with the promise of supports, which did not materialise. These small rural towns have people from a wide range of nationalities. Resources are needed, which is why this fund is welcome. Will the Minister provide further information about the timelines?