Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
438. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to farm assist since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31126/23]
View answerFarm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are just under 4,300 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €49.4 million for the scheme in 2023.
I have introduced a number of improvements to the means test for Farm Assist since 27 June 2020.
Further to the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, in 2021 my Department reviewed the means assessment disregards for Farm Assist. The report is available on the Government's website. One of the key recommendations of the report was to provide for an extensive expansion to the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, which I introduced from June 2022. I further extended this list from April 2023. In Budget 2023, I announced an increase in the amount of income from these schemes that is disregarded to €5,000 from €2,540, with 50% of the balance assessed as means, and this measure took effect from January 2023.
In terms of the rates of payment for Farm Assist, I secured a series of increases in social welfare payment rates, including the Farm Assist scheme, in Budgets 2021, 2022 and 2023. The current maximum weekly rates of payment for the scheme are €220 for the personal rate, €146 for a qualified adult, €50 for a qualified child aged 12 years and over, and €42 for a qualified child aged under 12 years.
Any further changes to the Farm Assist scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
The number of recipients by county, as of May 2023, is set out in the tabular statement below.
|
County |
Recipients |
|
Carlow |
31 |
|
Cavan |
132 |
|
Clare |
184 |
|
Cork |
303 |
|
Donegal |
908 |
|
Dublin |
54 |
|
Galway |
361 |
|
Kerry |
293 |
|
Kildare |
48 |
|
Kilkenny |
45 |
|
Laois |
40 |
|
Leitrim |
190 |
|
Limerick |
27 |
|
Longford |
87 |
|
Louth |
36 |
|
Mayo |
691 |
|
Meath |
26 |
|
Monaghan |
209 |
|
Offaly |
39 |
|
Roscommon |
146 |
|
Sligo |
103 |
|
Tipperary |
126 |
|
Waterford |
34 |
|
Westmeath |
48 |
|
Wexford |
95 |
|
Wicklow |
21 |
|
Total |
4,277 |
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
