Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department of Social Protection did not distinguish itself in helping with this issue between 2008 and the recent resolution of the problem for community employment supervisors. Of course, the deal was confined to those in the room, which included the Department of Social Protection, the community employment supervisors and their representatives. We are talking about the people who were locked out of the room, including the Tús supervisors and the rural social scheme supervisors. I am sure the Minister of State acknowledges that those people do the exact same work as community employment scheme supervisors. Notwithstanding the fact that the 2008 Labour Court recommendation was specifically about community employment scheme supervisors, does the Minister of State accept that the people to whom that Labour Court recommendation applies do the exact same work as employees or supervisors of the Tús and rural social schemes?

For God's sake, will the Minister of State avoid this circuitous journey to a resolution? This issue will be resolved because it is the right thing to do. It is €24 million out of multiple billions of overall expenditure in the Minister of State's Department, which is not a lot of money. These people do invaluable work. I know the Minister of State accepts that and that his Department would like to resolve this issue. Can we end the silo mentality in the Government that states we cannot sit around the table, join the dots, accept the logic of the settlement and extend it to those Tús and rural social scheme supervisors? It is the right thing to do. I know the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, know it is the right thing to do. Can we have proper engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and have this sanctioned?

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