Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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252. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of positions filled to date in 2017 out of the 500 additional places provided for the rural social scheme in 2017 to each company and Údarás na Gaeltachta delivering the scheme, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45357/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is delivered through 35 Implementing Bodies (IBs) or Local Development Companies and Údarás Na Gaeltachta in the Gaeltacht areas.

RSS was established as a supplementary income support scheme which provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and underemployed in their primary occupation. Participants must continue to be actively farming/fishing and retain entitlement to a qualifying DEASP payment in order to retain eligibility for participation on RSS.

In recognition of the crucial work undertaken in rural communities under the RSS and as part of the social welfare budget package for 2017, an additional 500 places were provided on the RSS. These additional places expanded the overall number of places available from 2,600 to 3,100. In addition, I am pleased to confirm that a further 250 places on the RSS have been made available in Budget 2018. This will bring the total number of places on the RSS to 3,350 for 2018. Work is commencing in my Department on the allocation of these new places.

The following table outlines the number of RSS positions from the allocation of 500 places announced in Budget 2017, filled in each Implementing body at the end of September 2017.