Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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597. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will consider including stay-at-home parents returning to the workforce in the eligibility criteria for roles on the community services programme that are currently reserved exclusively for persons returning to the workforce following receipt of a social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28353/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The aim of my Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) is to support community-based organisations to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model. The programme was launched in 2006 and has evolved over the years in line with emerging priorities.

The CSP focuses on communities where public and private sector services are lacking, either through geographical or social isolation or because demand levels are not sufficient. CSP funding is provided as a co-funding contribution towards the cost of staff in CSP organisations. Over 420 community organisations are currently supported under the programme to provide employment opportunities and local services through a social enterprise model.

The criteria under which the programme operates provide that CSP supported organisations must recruit at least 70% of their CSP supported full time equivalent positions from specific target groups, which include those most distant from the labour market, unemployed people, persons with a disability, members of the Traveller community, stabilised and recovering drug misusers and people with convictions who are in contact with the probation service.

In 2020, Indecon International Economic Consultants, on behalf of the Department, carried out an independent review of the CSP. The Indecon report was published on 30th September last, following which my Department and Pobal commenced work on the restructuring of the programme and, as part of that ongoing work, the range of groups to be considered for inclusion in the revised programme will be reviewed.