Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

69. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the issue of pension provision for community employee supervisors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43892/18]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

89. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of community employment supervisors and provision of their payments under a Labour Court recommendation of 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43895/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 89 together.

An issue which has been the subject of discussion by the Community Sector High Level Forum relates to community employment supervisors and assistant supervisorswho have been seeking, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding for the provision of a pension scheme.

At the April 2017 meeting of the Forum, my Department outlined its intention to conduct a detailed scoping exercise in order to comprehensively examine and assess the full potential implications of the issues under consideration. In considering the particular matter referred to, regard must be had to the costs and precedent of such an arrangement were one to be created.

A meeting of the Forum took place on Thursday, 23 November 2017 where the findings of the scoping exercise were shared with members of the Forum. A follow up meeting to deal with technical questions arising from the exercise took place on Friday, 15 December 2017.

It continues to be the position that state organisations are not the employer of the particular employees concerned and that it is not for the State to provide funding for such pension scheme provision. The employees in question are, or were, employees of private companies notwithstanding the fact that the companies concerned are, or were, in receipt of State funding.