Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 March 2023
283. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development whether a community association can appeal the number of staff it is allocated through funding and not just the amount of funding allocated. [11682/23]
View answerMy department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community-based organisations, to provide employment opportunities and local services through a social enterprise model.
My department and Pobal have undertaken significant work on the restructuring of the CSP with the redesigned programme introduced and all existing organisations transitioned to the new programme from January 2023. All organisations have received new contracts based on their existing staffing levels.
While an appeals mechanism is available following the restructuring process, there is a separate process in which organisations can now apply for additional staff under the CSP programme. It is open to organisations to seek additional staffing resources under the programme, by contacting their Pobal Pobal Development Co-ordinator in the first instance.
It is also suggested that organisations should contact their Local Development Company and their local Intreo Office to explore the possibility of additional staff resources from activation programmes such as Community Employment, RSS or Tús.
