Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy came just short of trying to put words into my mouth. Had he been listening, he would have noted I told Deputy O'Dea that mechanisms are being put in place within the programme to provide additional resources to any company with a short-term financial difficulty. Deputy O'Dea actually welcomed that. We hope a mechanism to deal with this matter on a case-by-case basis will be put in place by the end of the month. The mechanisms will be notified to all companies to allow access, on the basis of a justifiable case, to additional funding. Deputy O'Dea read earlier a letter that was sent out regarding the funds.

The fact of the matter is that we want people involved in the CSP to be paid a good wage. However, our funding is approximately one third of the requirement. What I want to do, and what I have done, with groups since coming into my Department is work with them to try to ensure people with a career in this area have a reasonable wage. I repeat that mechanisms are being put in place within the programme to provide additional resources to any company with a short-term financial difficulty. We will have the mechanism in place and we will proceed on a case-by-case basis. There are no proposals to provide an across-the-board adjustment. Some are paid well over the minimum wage, which is quite welcome. In this regard, the CSP is being used as we wish it to be used.

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