Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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183. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total extra funds allocated to farm assist in budget 2017 to cater for the reintroduction of a farm income disregard and dependent child disregard; if the new disregards will be applied to all existing farm assist recipients in 2017 in order to recalculate payment rates; the date the reassessed payments will apply from; the total number of recipients whose payments will be reassessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35623/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist scheme.

Budget 2017 introduces new measures in relation to the assessment of means for farm assist. These include that farm income will now be assessed at 70%, down from 100%, with an additional annual means disregard of €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and subsequent children.

On 30 September 2016 there were approximately 8,000 farm assist claims in payment. All existing farm assist recipients currently assessed with means will have their payments adjusted so that the new measures contained in Budget 2017 will come into effect from the 8th March implementation date with relevant payments changing on the 15th March. (Farm Assist is paid weekly in arrears). It is estimated that the measure will cost €8.5 million in 2017.

Farm Assist recipients will also benefit from the following measures announced in Budget 2017; the €5 per week increase in the weekly rates of payment; the 85% Christmas Bonus; and Farm Assist recipients are eligible to avail of the 500 additional places on the Rural Social Scheme.