Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department operates a number of employment support schemes; including Tús and Community Employment (CE), for long term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services. The Department is very conscious of the important role that these work programmes play and wish to support these schemes.

While Tús supervisors are employees of the individual Implementing Bodies and neither the Department, nor the State, is the employer of this group of workers, officials in my Department continue to hold regular meetings with representative associations to discuss employment related matters.

Not withstanding the 5% pay increase that this group has received in 2023, along with all other supervisors on our employment programmes, Departmental officials have engaged with representative groups in relation to a claim seeking pay parity between Tús/RSS supervisors and CE supervisors.

However, it should be noted that there is a difference in the supervisor roles on these schemes, with CE supervisors having a key role in drawing up and supervising individual participant learning and development plans.

As a consequence, there are a number of complex issues that need to considered in this regard by my Department, in it's role a funder of the programmes, and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. My officials continue to liaise with the union and employing companies representatives. in relation to this issue.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the work undertaken by supervisors on all employment schemes is valued and makes an important contribution to participants and communities across the State.