John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am seeking funding for the rural men's shed projects and clubs. I do not know whether funding for these projects comes from the Departments of Health, Social Protection, the Environment, Community and Local Government or Agriculture, Food and the Marine. There is no doubt these men's sheds do fascinating work. I recently brought the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to view two such projects in County Roscommon, one in Boyle and the other in Dysart. It is amazing the work that has been done in local communities by bringing elderly people together. This initiative is in line with the Government’s 2013 policy on ageing, dealing with rural isolation and protecting people who might suffer from depression. It is designed to empower people and does what it says on the tin, namely, it works. All of this great work assists the Government by cutting down on health expenditure, keeping people living in their communities longer, and easing pressure on nursing homes and hospitals. However, there does not seem to be any financial appreciation for all the work these projects do because they have to fund-raise to sustain their projects. These are worthy projects and a little amount of funding will go a long way. I hope the Minister of State will be able to find some way of finding funding for these projects.