Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 July 2016
474. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection to set out the estimated full-year cost to the State in 2017 of increasing the wage contribution to the community services programme to match the new national legal minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22854/16]
View answerThe Community Services Programme (CSP) provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a social inclusion nature. Many of these companies are also funded from other sources and generate revenue from the public use of their facilities and services.
By increasing the CSP contribution to match the new minimum wage, the additional programme cost would be approximately €1.9 m in 2017. The funding provided to service providers under CSP is expressed as a fixed annual co-funding contribution towards the costs of employing a manager or a specified number of full-time equivalent positions. The rate of CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage rate of payment. A process has been put in place to assist and support existing funded companies who are not in a position to cover the increase in the minimum wage for 2016.
