Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The rural social scheme, RSS, was established to provide income support for low income farmers and fisherpersons who are in receipt of certain specified social welfare payments and to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.

The renewal process, for the fifth year of the rural social scheme, to commence on 26 July 2008, is currently under way. All rural social scheme participants who are interested in renewing their place on the scheme for the coming year are required to complete the revised 2008-09 renewal form and provide documentary evidence that they are engaged in either a farming or a fishing activity. In the case of a fisherperson, a copy of a relevant licence or permit must be provided with their renewal form.

The scheme is currently available to a wide variety of persons engaged in fishing activity. Fisherpersons that meet any of the following criteria may be eligible to participate in the rural social scheme: a self-employed fisherperson on a fishing boat, which has been entered in the register of fishing boats and a self-employed fisherperson whose boat has been issued with a pot fishing licence. The Department of Communication, Marine and Natural Resources introduced this for small fishing boats such as currachs which traditionally have fished for lobster and were mainly unlicensed; a self-employed fisherperson who has been issued with a commercial eel fishing licence from one of the seven regional fisheries boards; a self-employed fisherperson who has been issued with a dredging licence for shellfish from one of the seven regional fisheries boards; holders of an aquaculture licence issued by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources; permit holders for shell fishing issued by a registered co-operative; and a self-employed fisherperson who held a commercial salmon fishing licence that issued from one of the seven regional fisheries boards.

However, it should be noted that this latter category has not applied to new applicants since 26 July 2007. The salmon hardship scheme had not been finalised by the rural social scheme renewal date in 2007 and an exception was made to allow participants holding a commercial salmon fishing licence at that time to renew their 2007-08 contract.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

For those existing participants who have still not received compensation under the salmon hardship scheme I am making a further exception for the 2008-09 contract year by allowing them to renew their contract again provided they satisfy all other conditions. This category is being kept under review and local implementing bodies will be able to advise those participants of any further updates.

Currently there is a provision for 2,600 participant places on the RSS, all of which have been taken up and quotas have been assigned to each of the implementing bodies.

I am fully aware of the current situation regarding the fishing community, however, I am not considering a further expansion or revision of the rural social scheme at this time. I advise anyone who may be interested in joining the RSS to contact their local implementing body which have been encouraged to form a waiting list of suitable eligible applicants to fill vacancies as they arise on the scheme.

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