Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In 2018 I launched the community enhancement programme which helps community groups to improve facilities in their area.  Some €4 million was originally available for the programme within my Department's budget for 2018.

The community enhancement programme supports a range of investment in all areas of communities, such as childcare facilities, playgrounds, recreational facilities, sports grounds, landscaping projects and supports for the elderly. There was a huge level of interest in the programme right across the country following its launch so I was delighted to be in a position to allocate additional once-off funding to the programme later in the year, and the final amount allocated was €13 million. This included €0.5 million that was ring-fenced for Men's Sheds. More than 3,000 projects across the country were funded, all of them targeted at enhancing facilities in disadvantaged communities.

The details of the 2019 programme are currently being considered and will be announced in due course.

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