Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also want to raise the issue of eligibility as part of the review. Is this an overall review of the entire scheme? The eligibility is quite limited. It has been raised with me whether people with herd numbers could use nieces and nephews or in-laws so that they too can access the scheme because it is quite limited at present. I referenced Tús because issues have been raised about it being a one-year long scheme. It is quite limited. They are struggling to fill places. They have told me they received the list of referrals from the Department. They contact people and people know they do not have to engage with Tús so they struggle with the list of referrals they receive. In some cases, very few people are actually willing to engage and that also needs to be looked at.

Lastly, if the six-year rule is being looked at through this review, and the Minister of State has acknowledged the importance of looking at its impact given the fact it has been raised, it is also an issue for community employment, CE, schemes. If the impact of the rule for the RSS, the Minister of State might also consider looking at it in the context of CE.

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