Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy will be aware, the rural social scheme, RSS, is a supplementary work scheme for self-employed farmers and fisherpersons who earn an inadequate income from their farm holdings or fishing. The scheme aims to provide income support for farmers and fisherpersons who are in receipt of certain long-term social welfare payments and to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities by harnessing the skills and talents of participants.

In this context, it is important to note that the RSS is not a training scheme. The community employment, CE, scheme, on the other hand, is an employment and training programme which helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The programme assists those participating to enhance and develop their technical and personal skills, which can then be used in the workplace.

As the RSS is an income support scheme rather than a training scheme, it is, therefore, not appropriate that comparisons be made between it and FÁS and CE schemes regarding conditions and the level of allowances that are payable.

Participants on the RSS who qualify through one-parent family payment, widow or widower's pension, either contributory or non-contributory, or disability allowance, continue to receive their weekly social welfare payment from the Department of Social and Family Affairs, with a top-up payment under the RSS.

Although two separate payments are made to participants, the total amount paid is roughly equal to, or slightly above, the amount that would have been paid had the RSS made one payment.

The Deputy should note that currently there are 46 participants on the scheme who are in receipt of disability allowance, a further five who are receiving the one-parent family payment and one who is in receipt of a widow or widower's contributory pension.

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