Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm that the rules of a spousal swap pass the entitlements of a social welfare scheme in totality from one spouse to another in order to permit that spouse participate in a rural social scheme thus removing the eligibility to participate in such a scheme from the spouse who had the initial entitlement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13772/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of the rural social scheme (RSS) is to provide income support for farmers and fisherpersons who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Persons are engaged for 191⁄2 hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. Each participant is paid the equivalent of the maximum rate of the social welfare payment they are entitled to receive plus €20 per week. The RSS is operated by my Department and delivered at local level by 35 local development companies and by Údarás na Gaeltachta in Gaeltacht areas. The scheme currently provides work opportunities for around 2,600 men and women and 130 supervisory staff.

Under the arrangements by which the eligibility criteria for the RSS are implemented, a person eligible in his/her own right to participate on the scheme may avail of an option to transfer the eligibility to his or her spouse or civil partner. In this regard, a qualified adult dependant aged 25 years and over of an eligible person may avail of the spousal swap option.

This involves the person exchanging his or her placement opportunity on the scheme with his or her adult qualified dependant. The dependent spouse/civil partner will inherit the age and entitlements of the eligible person. This ensures that no loss is incurred in the relative entitlements of the couple as a result of the exchange. The person who transferred the entitlement is generally not allowed to participate in other programmes such as community employment or positions funded by the community services programme. In the event that a person who engaged in a spousal swap takes up employment or training opportunities, the entitlement may lapse with implications for the dependent adult who is participating on the RSS.

In circumstances where a person participates on the RSS on the basis of a spousal swap, the participant must resign from the scheme when the entitlement of their spouse/civil partner expires. This arises in cases where the eligible person reaches retirement age, takes up employment or avails of opportunities provided under other training or employment schemes.