The Deputy is getting the facts.

In the programme for Government discussions, the Rural Independent Group fought for an increase for workers on the rural social scheme. In the budget, the Government delivered 500 extra part-time jobs for rural Ireland, which was all good news for low-income farmers and fishermen. However, it looks like the devil is in the detail. When the jobs were allocated last Friday, County Cork - the largest county in Ireland in terms of geographic area and the second-largest by population - ended up with just 39 out of the 500 workers. How did Cork, with a population of more than 500,000, get only half the allocation for Mayo which, with a population of 130,000, ended up with 79 workers?

The boss.

Farmers and fishermen in west Cork are struggling badly. I attended an Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, meeting in Clonakilty the other night.

Where is the Minister of State, Deputy Ring?

A man stood up and said that, after taking everything into account, he is earning €2 an hour. I tried to steer him in the direction of the rural social scheme. How foolish I was, because in the area of west Cork, from Macroom right down across in Bandon, out to Castletownbere and the Mizen Head and all in between, there are only 11 extra workers. For the fisherman and the farmers of west Cork who are struggling-----

The Deputy's time is up.

-----I ask the Taoiseach to answer me. How are these figures totted up? Real questions hang over the credibility of the entire process.

They are great people in a great area down there in west Cork. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, will answer the question for the Deputy.

He is not in Mayo.

I am happy to answer that for the Deputy. He is right to point out that there have been more additional places in Mayo than in Cork and that Cork has a much higher population than Mayo. Of course, Dublin has a higher population than Cork. There are more than 1 million people in Dublin and I allocated no additional places to the rural social scheme in Dublin

Answer the question.

Even that is-----

Can we have order?

Let me finish. If the Deputy wants the answer to the question, he may need to listen because it is not based on population. In order to qualify for the rural social scheme, an applicant must be in receipt of farm assist or fish assist. We took the number of people who are on farm assist or fish assist across the country and broke down the percentage proportionately on that basis. As the Deputy knows, down the west coast of Ireland, in particular, there are very high numbers of people on farm assist and fish assist. Therefore, the biggest increases went proportionately to those places.

There are no farmers or fishermen in Dublin.

That is why they got none.

Can we have order, please? I call Deputy Eugene Murphy.