Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1066. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to provide pay restoration to those on the job initiative scheme and the community employment scheme, similar to pay restoration provided for the public service in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42194/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraJob Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities.
Community Employment (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.
The programmes are delivered through independent JI managing agents and CE sponsoring authorities who receive state funding from my department to cover the cost of remuneration, training and material costs. CE and JI participants, team leaders and supervisors are employees of CE sponsoring authorities and JI managing agents in the community and voluntary sector. As the people concerned are not public service employees they were not subject to public service pay reductions under the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) which only applied to public servants and therefore the issue of pay restoration does not apply.
Pay and conditions are matters for the employer and not my department - as the employees concerned are not public servants, but employees of individual schemes. Any increase in participants' payment rates that would potentially increase the overall costs of running schemes and would need to be considered in the wider budgetary context.
JI & CE participants have however benefited from a number of Social Welfare payment increases in recent years.
Most recently the JI rate was increased by €10 in Budget 2022. The current rate for JI participants, who are employed 39 hours per week, is now €461.00. In addition, JI participants can also receive other Social Welfare benefits such as the annual Christmas Bonus.
The payment rates on CE are related to the underlying social protection payments plus €22.50 per week. In addition, a participant may be eligible, where appropriate, for payments in respect of any qualified dependent adult and children.
CE participants, who work 19.5 hours a week, have also availed of a number of increases to Social Welfare payments; most recently increases that took effect in January 2022 as part of measures introduced by Government in Budget 2022.
The department acknowledges the valuable and dedicated service that CE & JI participants, team leaders and supervisors provide in delivering local based community services. The department is fully committed to the future of employment support programmes and will continue to support and improve them for the benefit of the supervisors, team leaders and participants, given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services.
Any change to payment rates to participants on JI and CE would have to be examined at Budget time, in line with budgetary priorities and commitments.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
