Written answers

Tuesday, 29 January 2019

Department of Rural and Community Development

Community Services Programme Funding

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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528. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the rural community affair, Pobal, regarding CSP funding; and the date of its implementation. [4050/19]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I understand the Deputy is referring to the Community Services Programme (CSP) and, in particular, to the eligibility of a participant in a specific CSP supported organisation who has reached 66 years of age.

The CSP supports around 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model with funding provided as a fixed annual contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions. This contribution must be co-funded by the organisations concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

CSP eligibility criteria currently preclude supported organisations, including the organisation in question, from using CSP funding to co-fund salaries of employees once they reach 66 years of age. That said, the internal operations of CSP supported organisations, including general employment issues relating to CSP supported posts, are solely matters for the Boards of those organisations to manage as the respective employers. Accordingly, supported organisations may continue to employ persons once they reach their 66th birthday, but the funds to do so must come from a non-CSP source.

My Department will shortly commence a review of the CSP and there are no immediate plans to change any programme criteria pending completion of this review. The review will help inform decisions on the future shape of the programme, including inter alia programmefunding arrangements and age related eligibility criteria. Subject to a successful tender process, I expect a reviewer to be appointed before the end of February. The review will take six months and should be completed in early Autumn 2019.

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