Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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121. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress made with her Department and the Minister for Finance to honour a Labour Court recommendation (details supplied) to allow community employment supervisors access an occupational pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53461/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, Siptu and Forsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsors.

This claim creates some difficulties because the State is not the employer of the supervisors.

Within this context, officials from my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform held discussions on proposals to progress and resolve this complex issue, while having regard to the wider budgetary framework. Department officials also held discussions with unions representing CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors.

At the start of April this year, agreement was reached between the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Minister for Social Protection on proposals to resolve the long-standing issue.These proposals included a financial package.

Since that time, discussions on these proposals took place between my Department and the unions representing CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors, in consultation with other relevant Government Departments; the Department of Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance.

The most up to date position is that Department officials wrote to both Siptu and Forsa last week setting out the terms of a full and final settlement. The total value of the financial element package now on the table is in excess of €24 million. This is a comprehensive and generous offer which I am confident will bring this long standing matter to a conclusion.

I trust this clarifies the matter at this time.