Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge the work being done and the funding that has been made available. I agree with what the Minister said about the value of men's sheds and women's sheds. I do not really understand why we cannot put a multi-annual framework in place for funding for them. It would give them huge assistance in delivering and providing the services they do, which, we can all agree, are really positive for communities all over this country. I accept what the Minister has said about the lack of a national organisation or association for women's sheds. However, could the same level of money given to the Irish Men's Sheds Association not be provided over a series of years in the way we do in so many other areas from budget to budget, rather than asking them to depend from year to year on what they might be able to rely on? They can do so much more if they have certainty about what funding is available to them. Will the Minister outline the reasons that cannot be done?

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