Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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242. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to restore annual leave for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors to 21 days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53282/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Community Employment (CE) Sponsoring Organisations are the legal employers of CE Supervisors. The Department funds the statutory holiday entitlement for CE Supervisors which, depending on the hours worked, is usually 20 days plus public holidays. There has been no change to the number of annual leave days funded for CE Supervisors since the Department took on responsibility for the CE programme in 2012.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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243. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address ongoing issues in respect of pension schemes for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53283/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. The State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for such employees even where the companies in question are reliant on State funding and the Department was neither party to or bound by the Labour Court Recommendation (LCR19293). It is open to individuals to make provision for a pension by way of PRSA which all employers are obliged to facilitate.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that the issue of CE supervisors’ pension provision is currently being examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. My Department is represented on this group, as are IMPACT, SIPTU, Pobal and other relevant Government Departments.

The Forum last met on 23 November 2017 and I understand that a paper outlining the costs involved was presented. The unions have agreed to review and revert as soon as possible. Following on from this, a meeting is to be arranged between the trade unions and my colleague, Pascal Donoghue T.D., Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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244. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding contracts of indefinite duration for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53284/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding to Community Employment (CE) Sponsoring Organisations on the basis of an annual contract agreement. The CE Sponsors are the legal employers of CE supervisors and the duration for which the Sponsor contracts with the supervisor is a matter between the two parties. However, the Department provides funding for the duration of the agreement (1 year). It is recommended that such contracts reflect that the position is subject to continued funding by the Department for the scheme.

Supervisors are excluded from Section 9 provisions of the Protection of Employees (fixed Term Work) Act 2003 as they are “employees with a contract of employment which has been concluded within a framework of a specific public or publicly-supported training” under Section 2 of this Act. This means that CE contracts for supervisors cannot be of indefinite duration.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.