Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

As I said in my main response, farm assist is a flexible payment as compared to, for instance, jobseeker's allowance, and there are better supports available to those on farm assist. That flexibility is built-in, as I said. Self-employed income, under jobseeker's allowance, is assessed at 100%. Under farm assist, that is 70%. Child disregards apply under farm assist which do not apply to jobseekers.

In relation to the home carer's scheme, we are trying to ensure that carers who look after people within the home - the family carers, be that in a home or on a farm - are also given support through pension and we have reduced a scheme in recent years to ensure that is done.

The means-testing measurement is there to ensure that we target resources at those who most need them and that those resources, which are scarce, go to the areas that need them most. If there are specific cases, we will engage with the Deputy on them.

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