Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The sustainability and stability of health and social care sectors are a concern for Government and I recognise the ability of voluntary organisations to pay their staff is highly dependent on state funding.

As the Deputy is aware, last October, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Health proactively engaged with a WRC process to support the stability and sustainability of services and the ability of these organisations to recruitment and retain staff, who provide essential services to some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Following intensive talks, the parties to the process reached an agreement on funding for pay with Unions representing Section 39, Section 56 and Section 10 organisations.

The agreement reached committed to a significant increase of investment in the sectors amounting to a phased 8% increase in funding for pay in these organisations.

On 22 Nov unions announced that approx. 5,000 members working across a variety of voluntary organisations and NGOs - voted overwhelmingly to accept the agreement. It was backed by 88% of INMO members who voted, 94% of SIPTU members and 75% of Fórsa members.

While Government has engaged in this process and an agreement has been reached, Section 39 and Section 56 organisations are not public bodies, and the terms and conditions of employment for staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee.

The Departments are aware that staff employed across the hundreds of funded organisations have been employed using a multiplicity of terms and conditions, including different rates of remuneration and are dependent on Government for funding.

This agreement recognises the important role staff working in these voluntary organisations provide and offers certainty to organisations, staff and the people who rely upon them to provide essential services.

Funding was secured by my Department via a supplementary estimates process to meet the estimated 2023 costs of the WRC agreement and subsequently provided to the HSE and Tusla for allocation to the relevant Section 39 and Section 56 organisations.

The HSE is currently finalising a scheme to administer the system of payments to Section 39 providers in accordance with the parameters of the WRC agreement. This scheme is being designed with a view to having a straightforward process which avoids unnecessary administrative burdens on the organisations and/or the HSE, balanced with the need for appropriate financial controls and assurances.

The HSE communicated with Section 39 disability organisations before the end of 2023 and outlined the proposed process in advance of seeking information from voluntary service providers.

It is noted that final funding allocations to each provider will be determined following the HSE’s assessment of key pay related information and related declarations to be sought from each provider. This approach is in keeping with the general approach currently being advanced by Tusla in respect of funded section 56 providers.

Towards the latter half of December 2023 Tusla began disbursing funds to Section 56 organisations to satisfy the initial conditions of the WRC agreement. Communications with the employer organisations is ongoing, seeking necessary information to ensure good governance and observation of the funding requirements to fully satisfy the conditions of the agreement. Additional funds will be released in line with the WRC agreement in 2024.

While there was contact in December with the relevant Unions on the implementation of the 2023 agreement, the parties are committed to further talks after current deliberations on a public sector pay agreement are concluded.