Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will make a statement on the revised arrangements for farm assist as contained in the programme for Government. [36808/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The programme for government contains a commitment that to continue to support low-income farmers through the Farm Assist Scheme and adapt it in consultation with the relevant farming organisations'.

The farm assist scheme is a means-tested payment broadly similar to the jobseeker's allowance scheme. It features a more generous means test, which takes account of the specific nature of farming and, unlike jobseeker's allowance, farmers claiming this payment do not need to be available for work outside of the farm in order to qualify.

Increases in social welfare rates provided in recent years mean that it is now easier for low income farmers to qualify for support under the scheme. For instance, the personal rate of payment has been increased by €6.50 from €197.80 to €204.30 a week from the beginning of January 2009, while the increase for a qualified adult has been raised by €4.30 from €131.30 to €135.60 a week. Increases for qualified children have also gone up from €24 to €26 a week. This means, for example, that a low income farming family with 3 children can now receive a maximum weekly payment of €417.90, i.e. an increase of €16.80 a week (4.2%), which is ahead of the projected average increase in the Consumer Price Index of 2.5% for 2009.

Improvements in the method of assessing earnings from insurable employment, which were introduced in September 2007, provide further gains for families claiming farm assist, where either spouse is also in insurable employment. In addition, a capital disregard of €20,000 in the means assessment has applied since June 2005. Any further changes to the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context.