Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports more than 420 community organisations to provide local employment opportunities and social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model.

CSP funding of €19,033 is provided for each Full Time Equivalent (FTE) position and €32,000 for each manager position, where warranted.  The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts, rather it is a fixed annual co-funding contribution towards the overall cost of the employees.  The CSP contribution must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

There are c. 1,700 FTE positions supported under the CSP.  The estimated cost of bringing the funding provided for the FTE supported positions up to the current living wage of €12.30 per hour, plus the employers PRSI of 11.05%, would result in an additional annual cost of c. €14.7m under the CSP, which is not currently available.

However, it should be noted that there are a number of CSP supported organisations currently in a position to pay their staff the living wage rate.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) was first launched by my Department in 2018.  It provides small grants to community organisations with a focus on those organisations in disadvantaged areas.  The funding is provided to each Local Authority area and is distributed by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDC) in that area on the basis of local need.  Between 2018 and the end of 2020 the CEP funded over 8,000 projects across the country.

As set out in the table below,

- In 2019 the CEP received funding of €5m, including €0.5m that was ring-fenced for Mens & Womens Sheds.

- In 2020, the CEP received total funding of €7.2m, including €5m received as part of the Government's July stimulus package for repairs or upgrades to community centres and community buildings. 

- I launched the 2021CEP on the 10th May with an allocation of €4.5m.  The key theme of this year’s programme is supporting groups as they re-open facilities which were closed due to COVID-19.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2022 aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration. 

SICAP is managed at a local level by 33 Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), with support from local authorities; and is delivered by Local Development Companies.

SICAP funding allocations are made based on levels of relative affluence and deprivation in communities, ensuring the programme is targeting disadvantage fairly, to help those individuals in greatest need of the support.

The annual allocations for 2019 to 2021 are outlined below: