Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of supervisors and assistant supervisors on community employment, CE, schemes. In Cork last Monday, there was a protest outside the offices of Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection in respect of a Mandate decision in July 2008. There was a recommendation that supervisors and assistant supervisors would be brought in under a pension scheme. In fairness to them, they are successful in helping people on these schemes to return to work and provide a valuable service at local level. SOLAS will argue that because they are not directly employed by the organisation, it has no responsibility in funding the pension they wish to join. On the other hand, all those who are employing the supervisors and assistant supervisors under the CE schemes are in voluntary organisations which do not have significant resources to dip into and, therefore, do not have adequate funding to cover these people in pension schemes. This matter needs to be dealt with because the schemes have worked very well in local communities over a long period and they have also worked for people who have found it difficult to get employment. It is something that we cannot allow to go on for another ten years and it should be dealt with. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister dealing with this matter to come into the House and give a response to it because I do not believe it can be left in the current position.

I want to respond to Senator Leyden and his issue with the €100 million. He should remember that it is €100 million out of €7 billion, which is equivalent to €100 out of €7,000. It is the same situation. We have €7 billion in spending money for projects this year. When we took over in 2011, there was no money for capital projects. We have turned that around and we will go on and make sure that all of the capital projects that we have identified-----