Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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221. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the plans to address the payscales and current pay rates of community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors; if additional funding will be made to locally-based CE sponsoring authorities to provide pay increases to their staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57070/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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We are all very conscious of the important role that Community Employment (CE) and other programmes play in our communities. In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are long term unemployed, schemes such as CE also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities.

The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsoring authorities who are the employers of CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors. CE sponsoring authorities receive state funding to cover the cost of remuneration, training and material costs from the department. Therefore, any pay increases could increase the cost to the state of running CE schemes.

The Department of Social Protection, as the funder of CE schemes, has received correspondence from Fórsa and SIPTU seeking a pay increase for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. Any increase in pay rates that would potentially increase the overall cost to the state of funding schemes, or state funded activities in the wider community and voluntary sector, must take into consideration the potential cost to the exchequer. Given these budgetary implications, this correspondence has been forwarded to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for their consideration.

The Department is continuing to follow-up on this issue with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will also continue discussions with the Trade Unions concerned.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.