Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 February 2022
85. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to conduct a review of the means test disregards for farm assist with a view to better rewarding farmers who avail of the scheme for their enterprise. [4897/22]
View answerFarm Assist is an important income support for farmers on low incomes, enabling them to continue to farm while also receiving a State income support. Under the scheme farmers can receive the equivalent of a jobseeker payment and also have access to secondary benefits and employment services. The 2022 Revised Estimate provides for expenditure of €53.9 million on the scheme which is currently supporting just over 4,900 farmers.
The means test for the Farm Assist scheme is more generous than that for the Jobseeker Allowance scheme. Payments received under the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS), the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS), the National Parks and Wildlife Service Farm Plan Scheme (NPWS) and the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) attract a disregard of €2,540, with 50% of the balance assessed as means.
However, I am very conscious of the importance of sustaining farming activity and supporting farming households in rural communities. Accordingly, the Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 to review the means assessment disregards for the Farm Assist. As part of this review process it was recommended to provide for an extensive expansion to the list of Agri-Environmental schemes which will qualify towards the disregard of €2,540. I am delighted that the Social Welfare Act 2022, which enacts Budget 2022 measures, has extended the list of schemes to which this measure applies. Furthermore, this extension was originally due to take effect from October 2022 but will now be implemented from June. It will support the Government’s climate change agenda and act as an incentive to farmers to participate in the schemes.
I am considering the review in full and will arrange to finalise it in due course.
