Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

367. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans, if any, to review the rates of pay for community employment supervisors who have not seen a pay increase in over 13 years (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38482/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Community Employment (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 who are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant supervisors and CE participants. CE sponsoring authorities receive state funding to cover the cost of remuneration, training and material costs from the department. CE scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding.

Therefore, pay and conditions are matters for the employer and not my Department -  as the employees concerned are not public servants, but employees of individual schemes.  Any claim that would potentially increase the overall costs of running schemes or state funded activities in the wider community and voluntary sector would need to be considered in the wider budgetary context. 

My department acknowledges the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors provide in running CE schemes in 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.

My department is fully committed to the future of CE and will continue to support and improve CE for the benefit of the supervisors and participants, given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.