Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Employment Scheme (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 sponsor organisations that receive state funding from the department to cover the cost of CE participant, supervisor and assistant supervisor remuneration.

CE is a working age activation scheme and funding is provided up until a CE supervisor or assistant supervisor reaches the State pension age which is 66 years.

In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a set of new pension measures were approved by Cabinet in September 2022. The set of reforms agreed include maintaining the State pension age at 66 and introducing a new flexible pension model, scheduled to commence from January 2024, whereby people will have the option to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension. The new model, once implemented, will apply to workers across the State including CE supervisors and assistant supervisors.

Until this new pensions model is in place, funding for CE supervisor positions will continue to cease when a person turns 66 years. The person concerned may apply for a State Pension on retirement. It will also be open to them to apply for any new CE supervisor positions after the implementation of this new model should they wish to continue to work.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.