Danny Healy-Rae demands end to Rural Social Scheme six-year cap
Danny Healy-Rae urged the minister to lift the six-year cap on the Rural Social Scheme and to allow participants who reach their 60s to continue until they reach pension age. He argued the scheme is vital to rural communities, tied to farm assist eligibility and paid only a small sum for valuable local work.
Scheme significance
He described the Rural Social Scheme as a very important part of rural communities all along the western seaboard and in counties including Cavan and Monaghan, and pointed to upkeep of graveyards, green areas and approaches as examples of the scheme's local value.
Eligibility and pay
He noted that to join the Rural Social Scheme participants must qualify for farm assist and that they receive a very small payment - "maybe 20 euros or something very small" - for doing valuable community work.
Six-year cap and request
He highlighted that a six-year cap has been in place since 2017 and asked the minister to lift or amend the cap so that when people reach about 60, 61 or 62 they would be allowed to finish out their time on the scheme until they become pension age.
Minister's response
A ministerial speaker acknowledged the Rural Social Scheme's value, said they would raise the specific issue of the age cap with relevant ministers, and indicated sympathy based on past work on community employment schemes while noting the need to examine the details.
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The Rural Social Scheme is a very important part of rural communities all along the western seaboard and indeed many counties including Cavan and Monaghan and to get on the Rural Social Scheme you have to qualify for farm assist so they get a top opt-in for doing very valuable work in their communities maybe 20 euros or something very small but it's a great value to the communities but there's a six-year cap in place now since 2017 a six-year cap has been put in place so fellas can only work but individuals can only work six years and what I'm asking Minister is that at least when when these people reach 60 years of age or 61 or 2 that they'll be allowed finish out that time until they become pension age because look all around the country graveyards green areas approaches it's very very valuable work I'm asking toOU to lift the cap Chief Regan sen cỉin guy is a ridicule I'm looking forward to a lyrical list of those beautiful Kerry names. I agree with you. I will look at that into a very fair point Rural Social Scheme. It is a valuable scheme. It does a lot of valuable work right across the country, and it is very useful for, you know, developmentally for people involved. And so I will talk to the Ministers to see if we can look at the specific issue that you have raised in terms of, I think you said, the age cap. I did it before when I was an enterprise for community employment schemes. I would be sympathetic to what the deputy has asked, but I have to go through the details. Thank you.
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