Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 430 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model.

The CSP contribution per full-time equivalent position is not aligned with the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts. It is an annual contribution that must be co-funded by the organisations concerned from other sources, for example, from income generated from the use of facilities and services provided.

Following the independent review of the CSP programme in 2020 by Indecon International Economic Consultants, as part of the restructuring process, a needs-based, differentiated funding allocation model was introduced from January 2023, as an alternative to the previous flat rate payment model. This new model was designed to support those organisations most in need, providing a higher rate of funding to supported organisations that are identified as operating in areas of high disadvantage, employing individuals from the prescribed programme target groups and with evidence of limited earning potential. Organisations categorised as having a high or medium funding need benefited from increases of €4,000 and €2,000 respectively per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and manager. I understand that the 13 local radio stations represented by the organisation in question received either the medium or high level funding allocations. The organisation in question is not currently supported by CSP.

In addition to these revised allocations, a reduction in full time hours from 39 to 37.5 hours was approved under the redesigned CSP programme, to narrow the co-funding gap for CSP supported employees even further.

Furthermore, my department reviewed the impact of the increase of €1.40 per hour to the minimum wage level which was introduced from 1st January 2024.. As a result of this review, the contribution per FTE at the higher rate of funding increased from €23,033 to €25,750 and the manager’s contribution at the higher level rose from €36,000 to €37,500. It also resulted in an increase in the FTE contribution on the medium level of funding from €21,033 to €23,175 and from €34,000 to €35,000 for a manager on the medium level of funding.

In 2023, the department also announced a new call for applications for Additional Funding Requests for organisations currently funded under the CSP programme. However, community radio services were deemed ineligible under this open call as they were not considered to be a priority area. These services were considered to be more appropriately supported by other departments and state agencies responsible for these specific policy areas. This approach reflected the findings of the Indecon Report which recommended that the department should explore the scope for alternative approaches to supporting specific areas, which come under the policy remit of other departments.