The rural social scheme (RSS) provides income support for farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments.
Although there has been no change in the qualifying criteria for eligibility to participate on the RSS, all new entrants to the scheme from 17th September 2012 are paid the equivalent of their existing rate of social welfare payment plus €20 per week, subject to a minimum weekly payment of €208. These changes bring the payment rates in line with other similar schemes, such as community employment, and removed the anomaly whereby a person with a low value of farm assist payment, as a result of high means, was remunerated disproportionately when they accessed the RSS.
As the Deputy is aware, the Department has not required participants to vacate their positions on the scheme after a set period of time. The turnover of participants is low at around 5% annually. Since September 2012, 239 positions have become vacant and have been filled with estimated savings of approximately €10,000 to date as a result of the changes outlined above.