Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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53. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to bring community training centre staff into public sector pay grades and pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55973/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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By way of background, Community Training Centres, or CTCs, were established in 1977 as Community Training Workshops to support young, unemployed people aged 16 and 25. Since 1988, they have been delivering the Youthreach programme.

There are 31 CTCs throughout the country who are grant-funded by the Education and Training Boards, or ETBs, to deliver the Youthreach programme. CTCs are non-profit companies with their own independent Boards of Directors who are responsible for governance and the employment of their staff.

The relationships between ETBs and CTCs are managed within the parameters of the Department of Public Expenditure’s (DPER) Circular 13 of 2014 titled “Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds”. This circular guides the management, accountability, and reporting of public funds allocated through grants. It applies to all bodies receiving such grants, including agencies, charities, and other entities.

Specifically in response to your query, the Department has no role in the employment of CTC staff including, terms and conditions and pay. This is the responsibility of their independent Boards of Directors, within the parameters of DPER’s Circular 14/2013.