Written answers
Thursday, 21 March 2024
Department of Rural and Community Development
Men's Sheds
Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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336. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will introduce an annual men’s shed sustainability grant system to help with their running costs, for items such as electricity and insurance bills, similar to the one issued in 2023; if she will consider providing funding for small capital works projects; if she will make such grants available directly to individual men’s sheds instead of allocation through third party representative bodies; to provide an update on such funding measures that her Department will make available to men’s sheds in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13300/24]
Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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In November 2023, I was delighted to announce funding of €1 million to support Men’s Sheds throughout the country. The initiative will see grants of up to €3,000 provided to over 400 Men’s Sheds nationwide to assist them with running costs such as electricity or insurance bills.
The individual grants will be distributed to the Men’s Sheds via its representative body, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA). Officials in my Department have informed me the IMSA opened the application process on Thursday 1st February, 2024 until Tuesday 30th April, 2024. Sheds should contact the IMSA for further details.
Separately, Men's Sheds were also eligible to apply for funding under my Department’s Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) which I announced last December. This €6 million capital fund was set up to provide funding for small capital works projects for community groups and organisations.
The LEP is administered on behalf of my Department locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), with support from their Local Authority. The LEP is now closed to applicants and details of successful Men’s Sheds will be published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd in quarter 2 of 2024.
Further funding for the Men’s Sheds for 2024 will be considered within the context of the budgetary estimates process later in the year.
I would encourage all groups to check my department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd, and to engage with their Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), Local Development Companies and Public Participation Networks (PPN) to ensure they are aware of funding opportunities as they become available.
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