Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1186. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of the wage grant per participant under the community services programme in each of the years since 2009; the amount of the minimum wage in each year including employers PRSI costs; the amount to be made up by the employers on each scheme for each full-time participant on the scheme in each year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25041/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports around 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP funding is provided as a fixed annual co-funding contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, with €32,000 per annum provided for a manager and €19,033 per annum for each FTE position.

The CSP contribution is based on a 39-hour working week. It is not aligned to the national minimum wage, rather it is a fixed annual contribution that must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

The following table sets out the requested information.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1187. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his views on whether certain community services companies have limited revenue generating ability due to their location and the type of vital service they are providing; the steps he plans to take to assist these companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25042/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports around 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP funding is provided as a fixed annual co-funding contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions, with €32,000 per annum provided for a manager and €19,033 per annum for each full-time equivalent (FTE) position.

The CSP contribution is required to be co-funded by supported organisations from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services. However, their capacity to generate the required co-funding very much depends on the nature and scale of the organisation or the service provided.

My Department will commence a review of the CSP later this year. The review will consider, among other things, how the programme fits with overall Government priorities as well as my Department’s other community programmes and its policy objectives. Importantly, it will also examine the existing funding structure as well as options for matching supports and programme requirements to the nature and scale of the organisations and services being supported by the programme.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1188. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to increase the support funding for a community services company (details supplied) in 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25043/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports around 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP funding is provided as a fixed annual co-funding contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions, with €32,000 per annum provided for a manager and €19,033 per annum for each full-time equivalent (FTE) position.

The centre in question currently receives a CSP contribution towards one manager and 10 FTEs. It is also approved for transition funding for the three years 2016 to 2018 to help it meet the increased cost in the minimum wage in previous years, and has received one-to-one supports and training in 2017 and 2018 to help it develop its financial sustainability in the longer-term. There are no plans to provide additional support funding to the centre, or other CSP funded organisations, at this time.

That said, my Department will commence a review of the CSP later this year. The review will consider, among other things, how the programme fits with overall Government priorities as well as my Department’s other community programmes and policy objectives. Importantly, it will also examine the existing funding structure as well as options for matching supports and programme requirements to the nature and scale of the organisations and services being supported by the programme.