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Community Employment Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 October 2020

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

Ceisteanna (164)

Cian O'Callaghan

Ceist:

164. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to provide community employment supervisors access to pensions in line with the 2008 Labour Court recommendation to provide access to an occupational pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32052/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (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 for CE supervisors who are employed by CE schemes.  

CE sponsoring authorities are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant supervisors and CE participants. There are no plans to change this status of CE supervisors. The Department’s role continues to be that of CE funder.

This issue was examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.  A number of Departments, including my own Department, were represented on this group, as were the unions and Pobal. 

As part of this process a detailed scoping exercise was carried out with input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) on the potential costs of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of such a pension scheme for employees across the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland.  This exercise estimated a potential cost to the State of between €188 million and €347 million per annum depending on the numbers involved.  This excluded any provision for an immediate ex-gratia lump sum payment of pension as sought, which could entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million. 

In its findings, the High-level Group stated that while CE supervisors and assistant supervisors represented only a very small part of the wider community and voluntary sector, any explicit provision of State funding for such a scheme in respect of CE Supervisors could potentially give rise to claims for funding for employees of similar schemes in the broader sector.  The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform stated that it had to have regard to the full potential Exchequer exposure associated with setting such a precedent.

At this point, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors provide in running CE schemes delivering local based community services while providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those often furthest removed from the labour market.

The current position is that officials from my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are in ongoing communication on the matter.

The Deputy should note that funding of any potential pension provision for CE supervisors will ultimately be a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will need to be considered in the wider economic and budgetary context in which any such scheme will need to operate.  

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