Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to correspondence (details supplied) if he has completed the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15345/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The rural social scheme, RSS, was established to provide income support for low-income farmers and fisher persons who are in receipt of long-term social welfare payments and to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.

Following a review of the scheme in 2005, I recently announced a number of major changes to the operation of the scheme. As part of the changes, the categories of people eligible to participate in the scheme have been extended and now include: children or siblings of qualifying herd owners; recipients of one-parent and widow(er)'s payments with a herd number; and adult dependants of non-contributory old age pensioners, who themselves are under 66, and have a herd number.

The tapering of the adult dependant payments in respect of qualified adults has also been removed and has been replaced by a full qualified payment where earnings are below the upper threshold of €240 per week. In addition, participants on the scheme are no longer prohibited from undertaking any other form of paid work. These changes will be implemented over the coming weeks.