Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I am glad to see the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is here. Cluain Training and Enterprise Centre in Clonmel is a wonderful institution for young and old but mainly for adults. It has pottery-making facilities, a workshop that repairs tools and many areas of art and design. It is a fabulous centre for young people and I congratulate the board, under Seamus Leahy and Gerry Flynn. They are brilliant people. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, was good enough to visit recently. We need to have secure and continuing funding for the centre from the mental health and disability budgets. We need a dual or hybrid model to secure this centre. It has been there for decades. Many of the participants suffer from mental health issues and they get great solace from this great outlet. The Minister of State saw this when she met people there and engaged, and I thank her for it. We hope to have a dual funding model that will be secure. The board is doing its best and it needs support.

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