147. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on the funding he is providing to men's sheds [38146/26]

The emergence of Men’s Sheds 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, work on meaningful projects and connect with their communities.

My Department provides funding to Men's Sheds under various funding supports, including:

• The €7 million Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2026, the results of which I will be announcing in the coming weeks;

• The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2024 - 2028; and

• The LEADER programme.

Men’s Sheds can apply individually for all of these schemes.

In addition to these schemes, earlier this month, I announced details of the Men’s Sheds who have benefitted from funding my Department provided directly to the Irish Men’s Shed Association (IMSA). These details can be found at: www.gov.ie/drcdg

Multi-annual funding is also provided to the IMSA through the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). The IMSA has been allocated total funding of €283,684 over the three-and-a-half year period of the current scheme.

I would encourage all Men’s Sheds to check my Department’s website, 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.

I recognise the important work carried out by Men’s Sheds and remain committed to supporting their valuable work in communities across the country.