Brendan Griffin
Question:90. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection are there any plans to change the rural social scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18224/14]
View answerWednesday, 16 April 2014
Questions (90)
Written answers
The rural social scheme (RSS) provides income support for farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Participants are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The scheme currently provides work opportunities for around 2,600 participants and 130 supervisory staff. Funding of €45m is earmarked for the scheme in 2014. This level of funding will allow the scheme to continue along the same lines in 2014 as in previous years but does not allow for any increase in the overall numbers.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (D/PER) recently published a Focused Policy Assessment of the RSS. As with all schemes, the Department is required to ensure that the RSS remains effective, provides value for money and is in line with other policies being developed and delivered. The recommendations made in the D/PER Report will be carefully examined by my Department in the coming weeks to determine the improvements, if any, that should be made to the RSS.