Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will give a breakdown per county of the applications for farm assist made since January 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12033/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The farm assist scheme which was introduced in the Social Welfare Act, 1999 is a response by the Department to the situation of low-income farmers and it represents a long-term safety net for them. It benefits farm families with children and also provides increased payments to farming couples without children and to single farmers on low income.

While this means-tested payment is broadly similar to the jobseeker's allowance scheme, it has 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.

The following table shows the number of Farm Assist claims by county registered between 1/1/2010 and 10/4/2010.

Farm Assist claims registered from 1/1/10

Total 910