Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the low take-up of the rural social scheme in the southern and eastern regions; and the action he intends to take to promote the scheme further amongst farmers in the regions. [22786/06]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of personnel involved in the rural employment scheme; if there are sufficient funds to allow an increase in numbers; and if he has satisfied himself that there are sufficient funds available to provide for an active work programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23145/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 180 together.

As the Deputies are aware, 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, as well as providing essential services to their communities.

There are currently 2,299 participants on the RSS, of whom 658 are from the Southern and Eastern (S&E) region. In addition, there are 33 supervisors employed in the S&E region and 79 in the BMW region. While the numbers on the Scheme in the BMW region are higher, this tends to reflect the higher numbers of people on farm assist in that region compared to the S&E region.

I am pleased that the number of participants in the S&E region and, indeed the BMW region, has increased considerably in the last month or so. I believe that this is due, to some extent at least, to the recent changes that I have made to the Scheme.

As part of the changes, the categories of people eligible to participate in the Scheme have been extended and now include:

∙children/siblings of qualifying herd owners;

∙recipients of One-Parent and Widow(ers) payments with a herd number; and

∙adult dependents of non-contributory old age pensioners, who themselves are under 66, and have a herd number.

The recent changes also include the removal of the tapering of the adult dependent payments in respect of qualified adults and replacing this with a full qualified payment where earnings are below the upper threshold of €250 p.w.

In addition, participants on the Scheme are no longer prohibited from undertaking any other form of paid work. A wide variety of valuable work is being undertaken under the RSS, including:

∙Projects relating to maintenance and enhancement of waymarked ways, agreed walks, bog roads etc;

∙Energy conservation work for the elderly and the less well off;

∙Village and countryside enhancement projects;

∙Environmental maintenance works — maintenance and caretaking of community and sporting facilities;

∙Projects relating to not for profit cultural and heritage centres; and

∙Social care and care of the elderly, community after-school support groups and community pre-schooling support groups.

Funding of €43.322m has been provided in my Department's Estimates for the Programme in the current year, which represents an increase of 70% over 2005 expenditure. Going forward, I can assure the Deputies that I will continue to closely monitor the number of participants on the Scheme and its on-going funding requirements.