Rural social scheme reapplication form
Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice challenges a new reapplication form for long-standing rural social scheme participants. The Minister says existing participants can stay on for life and he will check what the form is about.
A form circulating in some counties, including Roscommon, is requiring people who have been on the rural social scheme, RSS, for ten or 12 years to reapply. This was never the case previously. Why would someone who has been on the RSS for that long need to reapply? As long as they met the criteria, they used to just sign their names every year. That is understandable.
Comment on this
The body that supplies the scheme for the Department has circulated a new form that has no heading.
Comment on this
I will have to check up on that. Existing RSS participants can stay on it for life. I have made no policy decision to change that. There is a difference for the 500 new entrants, in that they can be on the scheme for up to six years in two three-year blocks. I am unsure as to what this is about, but I am happy to discuss it with the Deputy and find out what is the story. People who have been on the scheme up until this year are entitled to remain on it until they reach retirement age.