There were 7,685 persons in receipt of farm assist as of 3 November 2000, of whom 7,262 had other income assessed and were in receipt of appropriately reduced rates of payment. A residue of 225 claimants are still in receipt of smallholders unemployment assistance pending completion of reviews of their entitlements. The average weekly payment to recipients of the former smallholders assistance payment is £92.88 and to new applicants £71.80. In 1999, total expenditure in respect of the farm assist scheme amounted to £15.6 million, while £13.8 million was paid out under the former smallholders unemployment assistance scheme. It is estimated that expenditure on the farm assist scheme will reach some £35 million by the end of 2000.
In relation to the numbers on the scheme, it should be borne in mind that the numbers receiving smallholders unemployment assistance had for various reasons declined from 9,900 in 1995 to 6,600 in 1998, that is by more than 1,000 per year. It seems likely that this decline would have continued so that the 7,900 now receiving payments reflects a significant reversal of the trend in numbers who benefit from support. Therefore, that the scheme has brought about a worthwhile improvement for low income farmers and particularly for those with children.