Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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493. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the materials budget for community employment participants was increased in Budget 2023, given that it currently stands at €13.46 per person [49639/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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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. It supports projects that provide work experience for long term unemployed persons. The programme is delivered through CE sponsor organisations in the community and voluntary sector.

CE sponsor organisations receive annual contracts from my department, which funds the employment of both CE participants and CE supervisors. Funding is also provided towards training and material costs.

The materials grant is not a set amount for all CE schemes, as the rate is determined by individual scheme costs and participant numbers. The materials grant is a contribution towards the running costs of CE schemes and covers consumable services and materials necessary for the effective operation of the CE project including such items as employers and public liability insurance, tools, stationery, audit fees, bank charges (excluding bank interest), protective clothing and the hiring of equipment.

It is estimated that the expenditure on materials grants will be of the order of €12.3 million this year. I was very pleased that the provision for material grants was increased in Budget 2023 to €13.5 million next year.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.