Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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119. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is considering a comparative evaluation of the work undertaken by supervisors on community employment schemes and supervisors on the rural social scheme and TUS scheme in order to address pay disparities between the two; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24521/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department operates a range of employment support schemes, each with differing characteristics and roles in the overall support offering to unemployed and under employed customers. For example, community employment (CE) is aimed at supporting long term unemployed to upskill and transition into employment or training, whereas the RSS scheme supports under employed farmers or fishermen/woman in undertaking work of a worthwhile nature in their rural communities.

Each Implementing Body (in respect of Tús and RSS schemes) and each CE sponsoring authority is an independent employer in their own right. The Department is not the employer of supervisors employed on these schemes.

Regular engagements, in a range of fora, are available to those involved these schemes to allow them raise any issue of concern.

My officials met with union representatives of RSS and Tús schemes on the of 6th April and discussed cross cutting human resource policy issues of concern, including pay and conditions. These engagements will continue.

I think the Deputy may be referring to differences Tús and RSS supervisor pay-scale compared to that of the Community Employment supervisor scale. This can be explained by the duties involved. There are differences between the schemes including the recruitment processes, participant turnover, training and development offered and scheme administration. I understand that unions now wish to have this issue re-examined. We need to be conscious of the wider IR environment at this time and the potential cost to the exchequer, while ensuring fairness and equity.

This was one of the issues raised at the meeting between my officials and unions at the start of April.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.