Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 January 2019
1030. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to increase the hourly rate of funding under the community services programme administered by Pobal from €8.65 per hour to the minimum wage rate of €9.80 per hour in view of the fact that the organisations availing of the funding are finding it difficult to meet this shortfall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1405/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community Services Programme (CSP) supports more than 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP funding is provided as a fixed annual contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, with €32,000 per annum provided for a manager and €19,033 per annum for each FTE position.
The CSP contribution is not aligned with the minimum wage, rather it is a fixed annual contribution that must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.
My Department will shortly commence a review of the CSP. The review will consider inter alia funding levels and funding structures, and how the programme fits with overall Government priorities and my Department’s other community programmes and policy objectives. It is expected that the review will be completed by Q3 2019 and it will help inform decisions on the future shape and structure of the programme.
In the meantime, I am providing €1 million in 2019 to continue the CSP Support Fund, which will help alleviate the financial challenges faced by the smaller CSP supported organisations pending completion of the review. I am also increasing the amount of the additional contribution per FTE paid under the fund from €350 in 2018 to €1,100 in 2019. Some 260 CSP supported organisations will qualify for support from the fund and I expect to make an announcement in this regard shortly.
