Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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689. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount in grants and funding awarded to an organisation (details supplied) in each of the past ten years throughout the country; the amounts applied for each year; the total amounts awarded; the amounts draw down; the type of projects that these grants were awarded for; if any of these were for capital projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49525/21]

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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690. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount in grants and funding awarded to an organisation (details supplied) in each of the past ten years in County Clare; the amounts applied for each year; the total amounts awarded; the amounts draw down; the type of projects that these grants were awarded for; if any of these were for capital projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49544/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 689 and 690 together.

The emergence of the Men’s Sheds in recent years has been a very positive development for communities across Ireland. They provide a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment where people of all ages can share skills and work on meaningful projects and connect with their communities.

My Department is providing a range of supports which both Men's and Women’s Sheds can avail of, depending on the works being completed.

In 2018the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP)provided capital funding for community groups which included €0.5m that was ring-fenced for Men's Sheds and again in 2019, €0.5m was ring-fenced under the programme for both Men's & Women's Sheds. Typical uses for this capital funding was the purchase of equipment, and small repairs or renovations.

In 2020, the CEPreceived total funding of €7.2m, including €5m under the Government's July stimulus package for repairs or upgrades to community centres and community buildings. Many shed groups received capital funding under this programme including for example 11 shed groups in Co. Clare.

In May this year, I launched the 2021 Community Enhancement Programmewith funding of €4.5m. This programme provides small capital grants to community groups to enhance their facilities and towards the reopening of facilities. Men's & Women's sheds along with other community groups could apply to this funding programme. My Department is collating this data at present but I understand a number of Shed groups have been approved funding from the 2021 CEP.

The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) has provided supports to over 200 Men’s Sheds since 2018, with small grants totaling over €98,000 awarded to 116 Men’s Sheds.This support, usually in the form of training and capacity building, will continue to be available throughout the current iteration of SICAP which runs until 2023.

The Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO)provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national, community and voluntary organisations. The current scheme runs from 1st July 2019 to 30th June 2022. The Irish Men’s Sheds Associationwas allocated €270,000over the three year period of the scheme.

My Department also funded the national organisation, the Irish Men’s Sheds Associationunder the Stability Fundin 2020, with €70,424in current funding to support the organisation to continue to deliver services despite the challenges brought by COVID-19.

In order to provide all the detail regarding grants to individual sheds, my Department is currently collating the information and will arrange for it to be forwarded directly to the Deputy when that process is complete.