Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of persons participating in the rural social scheme with a breakdown of the longevity of claims at intervals of six months. [14057/10]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the cost to the State in each of the past five years of the rural social scheme. [14058/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together.

Currently, there is provision for 2,600 participants and 130 supervisors on the Rural Social Scheme (RSS). All available places (both participant and supervisor) have been allocated and quotas have been assigned to each of the Implementing Bodies who manage the scheme on my Department's behalf throughout the country. The annual cost of the RSS since its commencement is set out in Table 1 below. Funding of €46.418 million is being provided for the RSS this year. The length of time participants have been on the scheme on the basis of 6-month intervals is set out in Table 2.

Table 1

Table 2