Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In response to the Deputy's questions and commentary, I wish to explain first that there are 2,959 RSS placements at the moment. We have almost 400 vacancies on the scheme. We will look at the six-year cap as part of the review. The RSS is an optional scheme. It is important to say again that we have more places than we can fill at the moment. I am interested in seeing how we can broaden out the scheme and get more people involved because, from my knowledge of it to date, it is an income support measure as well as very much a social inclusion and community development measure. It has real, positive impacts on people's lives, particularly in isolated rural communities. They have the opportunity to get involved in group work and community work in the community and engage with communities where social isolation is a big problem. My understanding of the rural social scheme is that if one is part-time farming, that is, underemployed in farming, the scheme will facilitate community work as well. I do not necessarily see this as being penalised for doing additional part-time work because my understanding is that most participants will have some part-time work on the farm and then will do other part-time work in the community under the rural social scheme. However, I take the Deputy's broader points about the health, well-being and family issues on which engagement in schemes like this can have a positive impact. We will think broadly about the review of the rural social scheme later this year.