Written answers

Thursday, 1 April 2021

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Community Employment Schemes

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exception will be made in the case of a person (details supplied). [17805/21]

Photo of Joe O'BrienJoe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.

The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsoring authorities that operate in the community and voluntary sector. The annual contract agreement between my Department and the CE sponsoring authorities establishes their role as an independent contractor, responsible for all purposes and all persons recruited by them.

My Department provides funding towards training and material costs in addition to CE participant and CE supervisor wages on a per capita basis. CE sponsoring authorities receive this funding in line with their annual contract with my Department.

CE supervisors are employed by CE sponsoring authorities, they are not employees of the Department. As the employer, CE sponsoring authorities provide fixed-term contracts to both new and existing CE supervisors in line with their annual contractual agreement with the Department.

Prior to being made redundant by the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland CE Scheme, the person concerned had been employed as an Assistant Supervisor during the period 07/05/2012 to 05/07/2013 and as a Supervisor from 08/07/2013 to 04/10/2020.

Following an interview process the person concerned was offered a temporary Supervisor position by the sponsoring authority of the Ballyfermot Centre for Children, Young People & Families CE Scheme also known as FamiliBase for an initial 3 month period with effect from 22/02/2021, commencing on Point 1 of the CE Supervisor payscale.

In 2019 the definition of a new CE supervisor was clarified as being a person who is not currently employed as a CE supervisor. Where a new CE supervisor has a new employment contract with a new CE sponsoring authority, there is no obligation on the new employer to continue on from any previous remuneration that the employee may have received, either from a former CE employer or any similar position that a new employee may have held.

All new CE supervisors commence on Point 1 of the appropriate payscale and move by annual increments on the anniversary of their commencement date thereafter, subject to satisfactory performance.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

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