Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

Despite all our GAA talk, we had managed to avoid last weekend until the Deputy's intervention. That suited me anyway.

We have made announcements this week under the growing social enterprise fund. Borrisoleigh Community Centre in Tipperary has been awarded €15,000 for solar panel installation. Canon Hayes Recreation Centre, with which the Deputy is familiar, has been awarded €11,559; Cloughjordan has been awarded €15,000; the Newport development association has been awarded €3,800; and €45,000 has been awarded to the Millennium Family Resource Centre, FRC, in Tipperary to assist it in its work. These kinds of specific interventions are assisting local groups in the county to continue the work and grow the expansion of the service. As I said, with my social protection hat on, we are looking at what we can do to enhance the schemes to make them more attractive for participants. Schemes are totally dependent on their supervisors. I acknowledge the amazing work of supervisors on CE schemes, RSS and Tús. I am happy that we secured some pay awards recently in that space and we will continue to grow the impact of the schemes.

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