Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2016
314. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when there was a change in the local community programme; and when the Government will pay the difference to redundant workers as a result of a Labour Court recommendation (details supplied). [20791/16]
View answerMy Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) was the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State and was implemented until 31 March 2015. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the successor programme to the LCDP, was rolled out across communities on 1 April 2015, following a procurement process. SICAP is overseen and managed by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), in each Local Authority (LA) area, who hold and manage the contract with the relevant implementing bodies (Local Development Companies).
My Department considered the impact following the outcome of the competitive process for the new SICAP Programme, with regard to the network of Local Development Companies (LDCs), which are independent limited companies. It should be noted that my Department has no role in the internal operations of Local Development Companies (LDCs) and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to staff or employment matters, which are for the Board of each company, as the employer, to manage. Each funding Department is responsible for its own funding and contractual arrangements with the LDCs.
That said, in the past, my Department has, under certain circumstances, supported organisations to ensure that statutory redundancy payments have been made available to cushion the impact of job losses occurring as a result of reductions or cessation in funding for a particular activity or company. During 2015, Ministerial approval was granted for the amendment of the LCDP financial guidelines to allow for certain redundancy costs to be charged to LCDP funding, subject to the written agreement by Pobal, on behalf of the Department, to the limits of spend. A limit was set of statutory payments plus an additional 1.5 weeks, subject to a cap of €40,000 per person.
Pobal, on behalf of my Department engaged with LCDCs on mechanisms to support stakeholders to address some of the issues and concerns in terms of business continuity, redundancy costs and due diligence etc, to achieve an orderly closure of LCDP, within a workable timeframe, commensurate with the need to observe EU procurement rules. The LCDP redundancy scheme has now concluded.
