Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27820/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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 for CE supervisors who are employed by CE schemes.  

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.

This 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. 

As part of this process 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. 

In its findings, the High-level Group stated that while CE supervisors and assistant supervisors represented only a very small part of the wider community and voluntary sector, any explicit provision of State funding for such a scheme in respect of CE Supervisors could potentially  give rise to claims for funding for employees of similar schemes in the broader sector.  The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform stated that it had to have regard to the full potential Exchequer exposure associated with setting such a precedent.

At this point, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors provide in running CE schemes delivering local based community services while  providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those often furthest removed from the labour market.

The current position is that officials from my Department, DPER and the Unions are in ongoing discussions on the matter. The funding of any potential pension provision for CE supervisors will ultimately be a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will need to be considered in the wider economic and budgetary context in which any such scheme will need to operate.

Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to ensure that a person (details supplied) receives a community employment scheme application referral. [27824/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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A Case Officer from the Cork Street Intreo Centre contacted the person concerned on 28/09/2020 to discuss her interest in participating on a Community Employment scheme.

The person concerned has been referred for vacancies in the Sandymount YMCA and the Community Services Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend Ltd CE Schemes.

I trust this clarifies the matter.