Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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640. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will confirm that any pay deal in regard to section 39 workers will cover all section 39 workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15276/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the unprecedented agreement reached at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The agreement between Government Departments and unions, includes funding for a 9.25% pay increase for workers in community and voluntary health and social care organisations.

This increase will benefit around 20,000 workers in disability organisations funded under Section 39 of the Health Act and is equivalent to the current Public Sector Agreement.

This agreement applies to the pay of workers in organisations grant funded under Section 39 (Health Act 2004), Section 56 (Child and Family Agency Act 2013), Section 10 (Housing Act 1988) and Section 40 (Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Act 2023).

I recognise that services funded through tendered arrangements are out of scope of this agreement. The funding for services commissioned through tendering can only be dealt with through the existing procurement processes. There are legal impediments to changing existing contracts, as this could breach competition law and public procurement rules.

It must be recognised such contracts are awarded through competitive processes and cannot be covered by the collective WRC agreement. The scope of the agreement was negotiated and defined at the WRC, so its intended application to community services which receive grant aid was clearly understood by all parties.

It is important to note that the Departments are not the employers, and the terms and conditions of employment for staff in these organisations are ultimately determined between the employer and their employees.