Michael Ring
Question:280 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is entitled to a place on a rural social scheme. [4473/06]
View answerWednesday, 8 February 2006
Questions (191)
Written answers
The conditions of eligibility, which need to fulfilled to participate in the RSS are as follows: applicants must be in receipt of farm assist or have been allocated a valid herd or flock number from the Department of Agriculture and Food, and be in receipt of one of the following allowances from the Department of Social and Family Affairs: unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit, if previously on CE, or disability allowance; or applicants are self-employed fishermen on a fishing boat which has been entered in the register of fishing boats or have been issued with a fishing licence for fishing for salmon at sea, from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, and are in receipt of one of the following allowances from the Department of Social and Family Affairs: unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit, if previously on CE, or disability allowance. The conditions of eligibility include that the person in question, prior to commencement on this scheme, was signing for credited social insurance contributions or "credits" with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Credited contributions are notional social insurance contributions, which are awarded to an insured person without a PRSI payment being received from the insured person. The conditions also include that my Department has established, following legal advice, that a person signing for credits has no underlying entitlement to participate on the scheme. The conditions further include that the person concerned spent one year on the scheme but following the legal clarification was informed that he could not continue to participate for a further period on the basis of credited social insurance contributions. To be eligible going forward a person must meet the criteria outlined.