Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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82. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of top-up required to be funded in 2018 by companies participating in the community services programme per full-time equivalent after receipt of the subvention for wages compared to 2010; the reason the grant or subvention for wages has not kept in line with the increases in the minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38603/18]

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.  Funding is provided as a contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions. More than €46 million is available to support community organisations under the programme in 2018.  

The CSP contribution to the cost of employees is not aligned to the national minimum wage. It is a fixed annual contribution of €19,033 per full-time equivalent and €32,000 per manager and is is required to be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the use of their facilities and services.  In order to pay staff the current minimum wage, a top up of €2,000 per full-time equivalent is required from organisations. In 2010, as the minimum wage was lower than it is currently, no top-up was required.  

My Department will be commencing a review of the CSP shortly. Decisions on the structure of funding supports for CSP funded organisations will be considered in the context of this review.