Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2014
418. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form by county the number of persons who lost their farm assist payments under the terms of budget 2013. [29745/14]
View answerThe farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to replace ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work. This year the Department will spend approximately €91.6 million on the farm assist scheme and it is expected that an average of 9,900 individuals will be in receipt of this payment each week.
Statistics on the numbers of persons whose entitlement to farm assist ceased directly as a result of the changes announced in the 2013 Budget are not available. However, the following table details recipient numbers at points before and after the changes were introduced in April, 2013.
Farm assist – total claims awarded March 2013 and June 2013
|
County |
Mar-13 |
Jun-13 |
|
Carlow |
81 |
77 |
|
Cavan |
395 |
368 |
|
Clare |
601 |
579 |
|
Cork |
902 |
874 |
|
Donegal |
1,554 |
1,529 |
|
Dublin |
34 |
34 |
|
Galway |
1,094 |
1,071 |
|
Kerry |
812 |
781 |
|
Kildare |
52 |
44 |
|
Kilkenny |
145 |
136 |
|
Laois |
158 |
146 |
|
Leitrim |
399 |
388 |
|
Limerick |
253 |
242 |
|
Longford |
258 |
250 |
|
Louth |
88 |
80 |
|
Mayo |
1,817 |
1,762 |
|
Meath |
92 |
86 |
|
Monaghan |
505 |
484 |
|
North-Tipperary |
228 |
222 |
|
Offaly |
132 |
120 |
|
Roscommon |
422 |
419 |
|
Sligo |
312 |
309 |
|
South-Tipperary |
162 |
157 |
|
Waterford |
92 |
85 |
|
Westmeath |
184 |
178 |
|
Wexford |
248 |
233 |
|
Wicklow |
81 |
72 |
|
- |
11,101 |
10,726 |
