Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the accuracy of a statement made at a recent committee meeting regarding community employment scheme supervisors will be reviewed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3795/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors/assistant 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.

I acknowledge that these workers have not received a pay increase since 2008 and Minister Humphreys and I together with Department officials are working to seek a resolution to this issue. To this end, my Department has engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will attend a conciliation process which is due to take place in the WRC shortly. I am confident that the conciliation process will progress the outstanding matter of pay significantly.

I can confirm that the letter from the union to the Secretary General was responded to on the 5^thof January 2023. As outlined in the reply, it is understood that at the time, it was argued that CE supervisors were not public servants and so should not have been made subject to FEMPI measures. This argument prevailed and pay-cuts that were applied to the public service did not apply to CE supervisors. A copy of the correspondence is attached for information.

The Secretary General and the Department have reviewed the record from the Public Accounts Committee of the 1st of December 2022 and for the reasons set out in their response do not believe that further comment or correction is required.

I trust this clarifies the matter.