Written answers

Thursday, 17 September 2020

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Community Employment Schemes

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the implementation of the Labour Court recommendation that community employment supervisors should be entitled to a pension or gratuity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24499/20]

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding community employment scheme supervisor pensions. [24454/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 133 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme.

CE sponsoring authorities are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant supervisors and CE participants; the Department’s role continues to be that of CE funder.

The issue was examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A number of Departments including my own Department were represented on this group, as were the unions and Pobal.

A detailed scoping exercise was carried out with input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) on the potential costs of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of such a pension scheme for employees across the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland. This exercise estimated a potential cost to the State of between €188 million and €347 million per annum depending on the numbers involved. This excluded any provision for an immediate ex-gratia lump sum payment of pension as sought, which could entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million.

Officials from my Department held a series of meetings with CE supervisor union representatives to consider a range of proposals, mindful of the wider environment and the financial implications of any such proposals. Discussions were also undertaken with my Department officials and their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). These discussions are ongoing.

Photo of Matt ShanahanMatt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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132. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department currently liaises with the Department of Community and Rural Development and the Islands in terms of the recruitment of community employment workers by rural community groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24436/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In order to qualify for Community Employment (CE), a number of conditions must be met, including being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period.  The focus of CE is on those who are long-term unemployed and the programme is monitored on an on-going basis to ensure that the CE schemes are meeting the needs of both the communities, including rural communities,  and the CE participants. 

In keeping with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, recruitment of new CE participants for all CE schemes, including rural CE schemes, recommenced in early July, 2020.

Eligible candidates are identified within my Department by Case Officers and are referred to CE schemes where it is considered to be a suitable activation measure.  

CE sponsor organisations are encouraged to promote awareness of the benefits of CE in their local communities, ensuring that CE vacancies are well publicised.  They can advertise their vacancies free of charge on the Department's JobsIreland website www.jobsireland.ie.

If the Deputy is referring to the recruitment of CE participants on a particular CE scheme he can forward the details and my Department officials will liaise directly with the relevant CE scheme to provide the necessary assistance.

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