Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government's five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, was published in 2019. This is a whole-of-government strategy led by my Department, which is implemented collaboratively with the sector through the cross sector group on local and community development. This strategy reaffirms the Government's commitment to supporting the sector, while also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to ensure that available resources are focused on providing effective services. The strategy includes a commitment to develop a sustainable funding model to support the community and voluntary sector.

My Department is aware of the challenges currently facing organisations in the sector around the recruitment and retention of staff. Community and voluntary organisations are funded by a wide range of Government Departments and agencies through different funding schemes and programmes. While my Department provides funding to some community and voluntary organisations, there is no national pay agreement for the community and voluntary sector as a whole. My Department does not have a mandate to set pay rates for what is a wide array of diverse and independent organisations, most of which get funding from other Government Departments.

However, my Department has taken steps in relation to our own programmes. For example, as the Deputy will be aware, a redesigned community services programme, CSP, was launched earlier this year, which introduced a new differentiated funding rate allocation model. Five year multi-annual funding contracts have now been issued to CSP organisations, under which almost all organisations currently supported have received additional funding. A further example of multi-annual funding is the scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector. Funding totalling €22 million is currently provided on a multi-annual basis to 82 organisations under this scheme.

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