602. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health if all drugs and alcohol task forces have been informed and funded to pay their workers (details supplied). [40102/24]

The Department of Health has carried out an internal review of employee pay in the community drug and alcohol services it funds. The review was undertaken in the context of the October 2023, Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement on pay for workers in Section 39 organisations. Arising from the review, the Department has approved an increase in grants for community drug and alcohol projects.

The increased grant will benefit employees of community drug and alcohol projects, funded by this department. It will enable those projects to give retrospective pay rises, and arrears, proper to 2023 and 2024, to their employees in line with the WRC agreement.

The 2025 allocation to projects will also be increased to reflect the cumulative increase in employees pay since 2023.

While community drug services have independent management boards, and the terms and conditions of employment of staff are ultimately between the employer and the employee, it is expected that services will pass on the additional funding through wage increases to employees.

Work is currently underway in the Department to ensure the efficient and coordinated administration of the increased funding, in association with drug and alcohol task forces and channels of funding.

I welcome the approval of an increase in grant aid for community drug and alcohol projects funded directly by the Department, to enable them to implement the WRC agreement on pay increases for workers in equivalent Section 39 organisations.