On the same issue of CE supervisors and the pensions they are being denied, the one thing I will say to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, is not to state that her Department is not their employer. While it may not be their direct employer, it provides the funding for the agencies that do employ them. I want to make that point because I know she has made that statement before. These people came from all around the country today and met politicians in Buswells Hotel. They then also protested outside the gates of the Dáil. They did not want to be here, only they had to be here because they are fighting for their rights and fighting for their pensions. These people do invaluable work in our communities. Every one of us praises the work of the schemes and the supervisors, but I ask the Government now to recognise them by giving them the pension they rightfully deserve.

I also wish to raise the plight of the CE supervisors who protested outside the Dáil earlier and who announced five days of strike action starting on Monday, 13 May. In April 2018, one year ago, the House, with the exception of the Government, passed a motion that was proposed by Fianna Fáil and that supported a call for the Minister to meet the trade unions. Why has this meeting not taken place, and when will the high-level forum meet again to discuss pensions? The last time it met was December 2017. These supervisors are not going away, they are not giving up and they deserve to be heard. Will action be taken to try to avert these strikes? These people do not only cut grass on GAA fields; they work with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, meals on wheels and the Irish Wheelchair Association. They do tremendous work. A five-day strike will have a huge impact on communities.

CE is the backbone of many rural and urban organisations. I will not go back over what other Deputies have said but I did hear the Minister, Deputy McHugh, say "unfinished business". This is clearly unfinished business. The recommendations of the Labour Court and the agreement that there would be a follow-up, with a high-level forum that would deal with this issue need to be dealt with now. There are 25,000 people on CE schemes on which communities rely. Some 1,250 supervisors are involved on those schemes. This issue dates back long enough and it needs to be dealt with now. I implore the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to meet these people and deal with the issue head-on.

The CE schemes and their supervisors play a valued and a key role in supporting our communities. The work they do is absolutely invaluable and supports meals on wheels, crèches, sporting facilities, community halls and many other day-care organisations. Having had the opportunity to meet many of the supervisors in Kildare, both this morning and in recent weeks, I am of the view that it is absolutely key to support them. I will say two things to the Taoiseach: first, the Labour Court recommendations from ten years ago should be implemented; and, second, the Fianna Fáil motion from a year ago should also be implemented. It is really wrong that the Minister has not met the supervisors over the past 20 months. They deserve to be heard and to be treated fairly.

I echo what my colleagues have said. We passed a motion on this issue and the Labour Court has given its recommendations. The work done by CE supervisors and workers is invaluable. We are losing these people around the country and we need to address that. Some of these contracts should be continued. The issue of pensions must be sorted out once and for all.

The Taoiseach and his Ministers have given various answers indicating that CE supervisors are not employed by the State. If we go right back to the start of the CE schemes, however, sponsors were set up as an arm of the State. The best voluntary people in the country fronted these organisations. It is completely wrong to declare they were not employed by the State. These people acted as sponsors in the best interests of their communities. The Labour Court has issued a recommendation in favour of the CE supervisors and a motion on the issue was passed by two thirds of the Dáil. The issue will not go away and must be addressed. An industrial dispute in the second week of May would have a detrimental effect on the fantastic work being done by CE schemes and supervisors. This Minister must address the issue by talking to these people to see where we go from here.

I also support CE supervisors. It is wrong to suggest they are not employed by the State. The State would be in a desperate position if it were not for the great work these people do in our communities. The Labour Court agreement from 2008 has not been honoured. Now, 11 years later, I ask the Government to honour it.

I also echo the sentiments of my colleagues. This issue has been raised many times and a motion was tabled on it. CE supervisors have been waiting for 11 years for their entitlements. No one would expect to wait 11 years for his or her entitlements. The country faces an imminent strike by CE supervisors. I expect that will affect the CE schemes being delivered by the great men and women of this country. The Minister has an opportunity to put right this ongoing wrong. I plead with her to do that.

I add my support to the CE supervisors protesting outside Leinster House today. This is not a new issue. Many CE supervisors have contacted me on this issue in the short time I have been a Deputy. This is about rural Ireland. These people are the backbone of rural communities who lead voluntary organisations throughout the country. A Labour Court recommendation is in place. I urge the Minister to listen to the plight of these people and respond in a positive way.

I echo the words of Deputy John Brady, who has championed this issue for a long time. This matter should have been settled a long time ago. The Workplace Relations Commission has issued a ruling on it and the Dáil passed a motion on it last April through the combined efforts of Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and the other Opposition parties. The right thing needs to be done now. The Minister has an opportunity to send out a very clear signal that this strike does not need to go ahead and that the Government will honour the Labour Court ruling.

I regret I was not invited to this morning's press conference by CE supervisors. I would have been happy to attend and I have been happy to meet CE supervisors up and down the country for the past year. I regret that a strike is imminent. When the ruling was handed down by the Labour Court we had a Fianna Fáil Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. We then had a Labour Party Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for five years and we now have a Fine Gael Minister. If the solution to this problem was easy, it would have been found 11 years ago, five years ago-----

It was found.

With respect, it was not.

The Minister is being disingenuous.

Fianna Fáil allocated €10 million-----

I ask that the Minister be allowed to answer.

I reiterate the point that the previous speakers made-----

I ask Deputies to allow the Minister to answer.

The point is that the Minister is not factually correct.

Please allow the Minister to answer without debate.

I will provide her with documentation.

Please do, because no solution was found in the five years that Deputy Howlin was at the helm.

A solution was found.

We would not be having this conversation now if there had been a solution.

I will send the Minister the advice of the Attorney General, with the subhead and the Revised Vote for it.

Please, Deputies.

Everybody is of the same mind-----

It is unfinished business.

It is shocking.

The services provided by CE supervisors, assistant supervisors and every participant in community employment schemes in rural and urban areas are extremely valuable and appreciated by the State and the communities that each of us serves. A solution must and will be found.

The Minister will not even talk to the supervisors. How will a solution be found if she will not even talk to them?

The current Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, has been meeting the trade unions for some years. A number of proposals have been put forward by the unions to solve the issue but no solution has been found as yet. We will not stop until we find one.

We are substantially over time. The four Deputies who were not reached today will be given priority tomorrow.