Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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47. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to allocate funding in 2019 to organisations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2997/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department provided a range of supports for Men’s Sheds in 2018, and many of these will continue to be available in 2019.

Last year I provided a special Men's Shed Fund under the Community Enhancement Programme. This made €0.5 million of ring-fenced funding available to Men’s Sheds groups to carry out minor capital works or to purchase equipment.

Men's Sheds groups were also eligible to apply for funding under the main Community Enhancement Programme, under which €12.5 million of funding was available in 2018. The issue of whether or otherwise I will be in a position to allocate funding to Men's Sheds in 2019 will be considered by me at a later date. In any event, they will continue to be eligible to apply under the main programme.

My Department also has responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) which provided 31 grants totaling €23,703 to Men’s Sheds groups in 2018. This support will continue to be available throughout the current iteration of SICAP which runs until 2022.

Additionally, in 2018, under the LEADER 2014-2020 Programme, 10 Men's Shed projects were approved to the value of €670,685. This funding stream will continue past 2019.