Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very familiar with the issue and want to make progress on it. As the Deputy will know, the advice the previous Government received was along the lines that the individuals concerned are not employed by the State and are not public servants as such. The advice was that the issue could have much wider implications throughout the community and voluntary sector, such as for section 39 organisations and so on.

When I came into office, I sought to meet the union representatives, which I did in July along with officials from my Department and from the Department of Rural and Community Affairs, given that it is the line Department for community employment schemes. We put a process in train at that time for further engagement at official level with the union representatives and that is at quite an advanced stage. There is not a proposal on my desk at this point, even though I have been told there is. I hope we can make progress on the matter but in a manner that will not have much wider ramifications that we cannot manage, which is the challenge we face. Progress may be possible and I await a full report from the officials involved in the engagement since that meeting in July.