Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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177. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if existing participants of community service programmes are entitled to continue to claim secondary benefits from her Department; if she will outline the rules on eligibility for secondary benefits. [41226/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The community services programme (CSP) is designed to support not-for-profit companies and co-operatives to address identified gaps in service delivery, support disadvantaged communities and ensure that community facilities are utilised. The programme is funded by the Department with day-to-day management of contracts undertaken by Pobal. Around 400 not-for-profit companies and co-operatives shared annual funding of €46m under the programme in 2013, with similar levels of funding being provided this year.

The programme is not intended to represent full funding for any operation. Rather, funding is provided on the basis of a contribution to the cost of full-time staffing positions to support the delivery of the service and can include management and non-management elements. The current range of funding of contracts ranges from 5% to 90% of total turnover with the average estimated as being less than 40% in 2014.

No additional entitlements to secondary benefits apply to a person employed with support from the programme over and above those that might ordinarily apply to any private sector employee.