Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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889. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is aware that apart from some long service incremental increases for long-serving staff in 2017, staff in the Citizens Information Service have not received a wage increase since 2008 (details supplied); her plans to implement this recommended wage increase; the date for the implementation of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56847/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, with responsibility for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services.

CIB provides some services directly to the public and funds and supports a number of Service Delivery Companies to provide services on its behalf, including eight regional companies of the Citizens Information Service (CIS).

I absolutely recognise and value the essential work carried out by staff of the CIS and their dedication to their role in ensuring that people have access to quality and independent information, advice and advocacy services across the country.

DSP allocates annual Exchequer funding to CIB to deliver its services and the services of its Service Delivery Companies, including the CIS companies. In July 2023, as part of the Estimates process, CIB submitted a funding request for 2024 to the Department. This request included additional funding for a 11% pay increase for employees of the CIS and followed a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) process that directly involved both SIPTU and the CIS Employers Group.

However, neither my Department nor the Department of Public Expenditure and NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDPR) had any involvement in this pay request or the WRC process that led to it. It is important that any pay request, which impacts the services under a remit of a Government Department are carefully considered well in advance and have the involvement of all relevant stakeholders including my Department and DPENDPR from early in the process.

I therefore believe that the best way forward is for all relevant stakeholders, including CIB, the employer and staff CIS representatives, my Department and DPENDPR, to engage on this issue.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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890. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the expected timelines for pay parity claims for Tús supervisors; if he will respond to concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56875/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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938. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on progress towards addressing the pay disparity that sees RSS or Tús supervisors paid less than community employment supervisors for very similar work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1015/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 890, 898 and 938 together.

My Department operates a number of employment support schemes; including Tús, Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Community Employment (CE), for long term unemployed persons and low income farmers/fishers. I would like to acknowledge the important role that Tús and RSS supervisors play in providing valuable opportunities to participants in supporting the delivery of key services to local communities across the country.

It should be noted that Tús and RSS supervisors are employees of the individual Implementing Bodies (Local Development Companies), which are funded by the Department.

In early 2023, union representatives and employers agreed, with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the support of Department officials, a wage increase of 5% for supervisors employed on Tús, RSS and CE schemes.

Officials in my Department continue to hold regular meetings with the supervisor's representative associations to discuss issues in relation to the delivery of all employment programmes. In recent meetings the representatives raised the issue of pay parity for Tús and RSS with CE supervisors.

It is important to note that there are differences in the work undertaken by CE supervisors compared to that undertaken by Tús and RSS, relating, for example, to the preparation of individual learning plans. As a consequence, we would expect the service fees paid to the service providers to reflect this difference in scope.

My Department, as funder of these schemes, are considering the complexities involved in addressing this issue. It is also important to note that any changes to the fees paid or the funding model will require the approval of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Pending the outcome of this consideration, officials in my Department will continue to work with the Implementation Bodies and staff representatives in an effort to resolve the issue.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputies.