CE scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding. They are not employees of my Department or public servants.
The Deputy should note that, in the past, CE supervisors benefited from pay increases linked to all phases of Benchmarking, Sustaining Progress (Parts 1 and 2) and Towards 2016 (all 4 phases). They were not subject to any pay reductions under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI).
It is worth noting that CE participants had two reductions in their allowances following Budget 2010 (from €228.70 to €216.00 personal rate – 5.5% reduction) and Budget 2011 (from €216.00 to €208.00 – 3.7% reduction), an overall percentage reduction of circa 9.0%. The current max rate of pay for participants is currently €225.50 which is 1.4% below the 2010 rate.
The current agreement for public servants is an agreed approach to the continued unwinding of the FEMPI legislation and does not provide for a pay increase.