Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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855. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will reinstate funding for a community employment supervisor and 17 part-time employees at a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13491/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The sponsors of Belvedere Youth Club (BYC) Community Employment (CE) Scheme were previously in receipt of funding from my Department up to 08/02/2019.  The CE Scheme had experienced ongoing difficulties in filling participant places, having a maximum of 3 participants in situ for a prolonged period of time.  

Officials of my Department met with the BYC CE sponsoring board on a number of occasions and offered assistance to address their participant recruitment needs.  When the CE scheme was not successful in increasing participant numbers, my Department offered to facilitate the retention of the existing participants within the CE scheme by the means of an amalgamation with another CE sponsor.  Support was also offered to BYC in assisting the CE Supervisor to secure a positon with alternative CE schemes.  Both of these offers were declined by BYC.

To ensure the current BYC CE participants maintained their places on CE, my Department with the cooperation of BYC, arranged for their transfer to alternative CE schemes.  The 3 remaining CE participants officially transferred to alternative CE schemes on 08/02/2019.  It is the understanding of my Department that BYC secured alternative funding which assisted them in the employment of the Supervisor.

In order to re-qualify for Community Employment Programme funding and a CE Supervisory grant, a minimum of 15 CE participants is required for the scheme.  If the sponsors wish to be reconsidered for funding they will be required submit a new 3 year application for the Community Employment Programme.

A copy of the 3 Year Application form, Guidelines for Completing of a New 3 Year Application form and the Community Employment Procedures Manual, can be issued to the Sponsors if required.

I trust this clarifies the matter.