John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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161. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the funding situation in terms of pay parity with HSE equivalents and proper funding generally for section 39 organisations, including the restoration of pay parity between section 39 workers and their counterparts in State-run services; if it can be guaranteed that such parity will be maintained in future, including wage increases and to address the ongoing pension issues that have been raised by their representatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6811/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The WRC pay funding agreement reached last year between Government Departments and unions includes funding for a 9.25% pay increase for workers in community and voluntary health and social care organisations.

The agreement recognises that staff in these organisations should be fairly paid for the vital work they do. In a landmark step by this Government, the agreement also includes an automatic link to future public sector pay agreements for these workers, to match the terms of all future pay adjustments. The parity of treatment provided for in this Agreement is an important step forward for workers.

This agreement improves the ability of vital organisations to actively recruit and retain staff, thereby enhancing the sustainability of services in the sector.

This increase will benefit around 20,000 workers in disability voluntary organisations and is equivalent to the current Public Sector Agreement.

The HSE have made the necessary arrangements to allocate the additional funding and the process of issuing payments is in its final stages. The vast majority of agencies have now been recommended for payment. Work is on-going with 19 agencies to ensure the necessary information is provided to enable their claims to be concluded. It is expected that these will be concluded over the coming weeks.

As part of the agreement a comprehensive data gathering exercise is being progressed on the pay and funding arrangements in the sector, to progress pay issues that affect the delivery of services and the long-term viability of organisations. The parties agreed that this exercise is crucial in order to create a shared understanding of the sector, particularly in regard to low pay.