Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
1000. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding a pension scheme for community employment scheme supervisors following the 2008 Labour Court ruling in respect of same; the position regarding the report on a pension scheme for scheme supervisors due to be published by her Department; the timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11003/20]
View answerThe Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
CE sponsor organisations provide a valuable and dedicated service in running CE Schemes all over the country. CE Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors, as employees of these organisations, are an integral part of that good work.
As you are aware, CE supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme.
Last year my officials and I met with the unions to establish a process for the related discussions and to agree on the terms of reference. During the meetings that followed, the parties undertook a detailed analysis of a number of potential solutions tabled, mindful of the broader environment in which any solution found would need to operate.
Related discussions have also been taken place between officials from my Department and their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) and I have asked that my officials continue these discussions.
Further planned discussions between my Department officials and the Unions did not take place in light of the ongoing Covid-19 emergency. However, my officials will continue these discussions as normal business resumes.
