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 the scheme 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 (up to a maximum of €1,500), bank charges (excluding bank interest), protective clothing and the hiring of equipment.

The expenditure on materials grants for CE was just over €12 million in 2022 and the provision was increased in Budget 2023 to €13.5 million to support those schemes that are experiencing difficulty in covering eligible CE associated costs. As a result, on 22nd March 2023, Minister Humphreys and I announced new measures to specifically support CE Schemes nationwide including the payment of a €1,000 grant to CE sponsor organisations to help them deal with rising costs. This was made available to respond to the current rising costs for community groups. This once off grant is available for the 2023 calendar year.

If a CE sponsor organisation is experiencing difficulty with rising costs and is seeking further funding under the materials grant, they should make an application through my Department's Community Development Officer assigned to their CE scheme.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.