Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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418. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form by county the number of persons who lost their farm assist payments under the terms of budget 2013. [29745/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to replace ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work. This year the Department will spend approximately €91.6 million on the farm assist scheme and it is expected that an average of 9,900 individuals will be in receipt of this payment each week.

Statistics on the numbers of persons whose entitlement to farm assist ceased directly as a result of the changes announced in the 2013 Budget are not available. However, the following table details recipient numbers at points before and after the changes were introduced in April, 2013.

Farm assist – total claims awarded March 2013 and June 2013

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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419. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the amount it would cost to restore farm assist to 2013 levels. [29746/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to replace ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work. This year the Department will spend approximately €91.6 million on the farm assist scheme and it is expected that an average of 9,900 individuals will be in receipt of this payment each week. Recent changes to the scheme have brought it into closer alignment with the jobseeker’s allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons. In respect of the farm assist scheme, preliminary estimates indicate that changing the rate assessment of means from self-employment, including farming, from 100% to 85%; and re- introducing deductions from income for children of €127 per year for each of the first two dependent children and €190.50 per year for each subsequent child; would approximately €5 million in a full year.