Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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809. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department will provide financial support to community groups that are having to bridge the serious shortfall between the amount that Pobal pays participants on the community services programme and the amount that staff should be paid in line with the minimum wage (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50325/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 430 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution of €19,033 for each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, €32,000 towards the cost of employing a manager.

The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts. The contribution must be co-funded by other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

My Department and Pobal have been working on the restructuring of the CSP, since the publication in 2020 of the independent review of the CSP by Indecon International Economic Consultants. The redesigned programme will be introduced from January 2023 with a new funding rate allocation model, to replace the existing flat rate model.

The revised funding rates to apply from January 2023 under the restructured programme will be released shortly. However, I am pleased to advise that my Department has secured a 7% increase for the programme for 2023. This additional funding will allow my department to implement this new, fairer and more sustainable model for 2023.

It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an online application process which is currently open and will run until 14th October.

In addition to this funding, my Department has provided a number of funding streams to support community organisations including the Stability Fund, Community Activities Fund under the Community Enhancement Programme and the most recently launched €15m Community Centres Investment fund, which will continue to provide necessary and essential supports to these organisations. Funding of €1m has also been approved in 2022 under the CSP Support Fund to assist CSP organisations that are in a weak financial position.

I am aware that the organisation in question was successful under the 2021 CSP Support Fund with the organisation receiving funding of €3,242.72 to help meet those costs. They were also successful with their application under the 2021 Stability Fund, with the organisation receiving funding of €12,407 under that scheme.

In the interim, the organisation may also wish to contact their Local Community Development Committee in their local authority area and their Local Development Company as they may be able to provide them with guidance on other supports available to community organisations at this time.