Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2026
206. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht regarding his engagement with and the proposal from an organisation (details supplied) received on 21 September 2026 in relation to the distribution of the funding, when his review of these proposals will be completed. [69088/26]
View answerI can confirm that I did receive the proposal from the IMSA on September 21st and Minister Buttimer and I went ahead with an already scheduled meeting with the IMSA on the 22nd September. The proposal was discussed and the meeting was positive and productive. My officials have since met with the IMSA again, and further meetings are planned to discuss their proposals for the 2026 scheme. The review of the proposal is ongoing, and, at this stage, it is not possible to provide a definitive timeframe for its completion.
As I informed the Deputy last week, he can be assured that I and my Department are totally committed to the work of Men's Sheds and also Women's Sheds on the ground. Given that the current distribution of funding has been identified by many individual sheds as cumbersome and being a burden, my priority when considering the future allocation mechanism for Men's Sheds is to ensure that the process is streamlined for the Sheds themselves and that funding is targeted and distributed in an effective and efficient manner.
