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

I will take the Deputy's suggestions on board in terms of the variety of tasks required of CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. It is a difficult job.

We are not hiding behind a shadow-employer status. I am very much upfront in saying that the Department of Social Protection is the main funder of CE schemes and, accordingly, we need to respond to the claims of supervisors. In recent weeks and months, I have been very much trying to move things along. I am hopeful that we will make significant progress in the coming weeks. As I stated earlier today in the Chamber in response to a similar question, we need the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to back us now. As a Department, we are willing to go in to the WRC and to make an offer, but we cannot do that without the sanction of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I very much want to do that. We will keep pushing. We must look after CE supervisors and assistant supervisors, who do amazing work and we should reward them for it.

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