The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) was initiated by the then Minister for Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D.and announced in the Budget of December, 2003. The RSS was launched by Minister Ó Cuív on 17th May 2004. The aims of the RSS are to provide income support for farmers and fishermen and to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.
While responsibility for the operation of the RSS rests with the Department of Social Protection, it is managed at a local level by implementing bodies (West Cork Development Partnership here in west Cork).
The Department of Social Protection monitors the implementation of the RSS. Participants under RSS will be employees of their Implementing Body (West Cork Development Partnership). While the RSS operates independently of the Community Employment Schemes, it will act to complement it in areas where both schemes are in operation.
All of the work undertaken during the RSS will be beneficial to the local community.
The types of projects carried out under the RSS are likely to include:
- Maintaining and enhancing waymarked ways, agreed walks and bog roads,
- Energy conservation work for the elderly and the less well off,
- Village and countryside enhancement projects,
- Social care and care of the elderly, community care for both pre-school and after-school groups,
- Environmental maintenance work – maintenance and caretaking of community and sporting facilities,
- Projects relating to not for profit cultural and heritage centres,
- Community Administration/Clerical Duties,
- Any other appropriate community project identified during the course of the Scheme.
What’s involved?
RSS Participants work 19.5 hours per week and these hours are based on a farmer/fisherman-friendly schedule. This is to ensure participation on the scheme does not affect your farming/fishing activities.
All participants commencing on the Rural Social Scheme from 1st February 2017 must be over 25 years of age.
Participants on the Rural Social Scheme must retire at the end of the last working day prior to your 66th birth date.
Your Annual Leave entitlement will be calculated in accordance with the terms of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.
Participants are paid on a weekly basis. Payment is lodged directly into participant’s bank accounts on the Thursday of each week; a payslip will also be issued each week
Participants are entitled to retain certain secondary benefits, such as medical card, fuel allowance, back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, etc.
PRSI contribution: A Class A PRSI contribution is paid on behalf of all RSS participants. You are not liable for the Universal Social Charge.
Tax: Participants income is liable for tax although it is likely you will pay little or no tax
Criteria For Farmers
Criteria For Farmers to be eligible to participate on the RSS you must:
- have an active herd or flock number from the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. (Please note that in order for you to be deemed eligible to participate on the Rural Social Scheme, you must provide proof to West Cork Development Partnership that you are actively farming by providing a copy of your application for the EU Single Payment Scheme for the current year.)
and
be in receipt of one of the following allowances from the Department of Social Protection:
- Farm Assist
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Disability Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Widow (ers) Pension, both Contributory and Non-Contributory
- Be under 66 and a Qualified Adult Dependant of a recipient of the Non-Contributory Old Age Pension
If you are a child/sibling of a herd number owner and you can certify that you are resident and/or working on the farm and you are getting one of the qualifying social welfare payments listed, you may be eligible to participate in the RSS on the basis of your parent’s/sibling’s herd number.
If you are a dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a herd number owner you can take the available place.
Alternatively, if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting one of the qualifying social welfare payments and is actively farming, they can use your herd number to qualify for the scheme.
A farmers spouse, civil partner or cohabitant can participate in the RSS, if he/she is under 66 and you are getting a State Pension (Non-Contributory) which includes an Increase for Qualified Adult for him or her.
From 1 January 2026,
- persons, actively farming or fishing, aged 25 years or over, in receipt of a qualifying payment above, and have a defined connection to the holder of a farming number or fishing licence (see below)
- a couple, aged 25 years or over, who are actively farming or fishing and in receipt of a qualifying payment may both access the RSS. Eligibility also applies to the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a current RSS participant who is claiming a qualified adult allowance. In this instance, the same farming number or fishing licence can be used by the couple to qualify for RSS(see below)
Who may qualify under ‘Defined Connection’?
A “defined” connection means you are actively farming or fishing, are over 25 years old who is in receipt of a qualifying payment and are
- a family member of the holder of the farming number or fishing licence number
OR
- a person who is not a family member but is actively involved in the farming or fishing activity
Family members include the following (in-laws included):
- spouse, civil partner or co-habitant
- father or mother
- son or daughter
- brother or sister
- grandfather, grandmother or grandchild
- aunt or uncle
- niece or nephew
The farming number or fishing license number can only be used once to access the RSS through the defined connection option (except where a couple are both farming or fishing).
The person accessing RSS through the defined connection must provide consent from the farming number owner(s) or fishing licence holder(s). This consent can be provided by completing the RSS2 form – “Use of Farming Number/Fishing Licence Agreement”. This RSS 2 form must be accompanied by copies of the relevant documentation set out i.e. Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application for the current year OR relevant documentation to support evidence of fishing.
Couples engaged in Farming/Fishing
RSS is available to the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a Farmer or Fisher if they:
- are 25 years of age or older
- are actively engaged in farming or fishing, and
- receive a qualifying social welfare payment to access RSS
Eligibility also applies to the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a current RSS participant who is claiming a qualified adult allowance. Both you and your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may avail of the RSS in your own right.
If you qualify for RSS but do not wish to participate in the scheme, your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant can take the available place (previously known as spousal swap).
Where both wish to access RSS using the same farming number or fishing licence number, this is the only circumstance in which that number may be used twice to access RSS.
Where both are accessing the RSS, consent from the farming number owner(s) or fishing licence holder(s) must be provided. This consent must be provided by completing the RSS2 form – “Use of Farming Number/Fishing Licence Agreement”. This RSS2 form must be accompanied by copies of the relevant documentation set out, that is – Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application for the current year OR relevant documentation to support evidence of fishing.
Criteria For Fishermen
Criteria For Fishermen to be eligible to participate on the RSS you must be one of the following:
- Self-employed fisherman/woman on a fishing boat that has been entered in the Register of Fishing Boats.
- Self-employed fisherman/woman whose boat has been issued with a pot fishing licence.
- Self-employed fisherman/woman who has been issued with a commercial salmon fishing licence from Inland Fisheries Ireland.
- Self-employed fisherman/woman who has been issued with a commercial eel fishing licence from Inland Fisheries Ireland.
- Self-employed fisherman/woman who has been issued with a dredging licence for shellfish from Inland Fisheries Ireland.
- Holders of an aquaculture licence.
- Permit holders for shell fishing issued by a registered cooperative
and be in receipt of one of the following allowances from the Department of Social Protection:
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Disability Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Widow(ers) Pension, both Contributory and Non-Contributory
- Be under 66 and a Qualified Adult Dependant of a recipient of the Non-Contributory Old Age Pension
A spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a fisherman/woman can participate in the RSS, if he/she is under 66 and he/she is getting a State Pension (Non-Contributory) which includes an Increase for Qualified Adult for him/her.
Work apart from farming/fishing
Any earnings outside of a participants primary income i.e. farming or fishing must remain within the income threshold which applies to their underlying Department of Social Protection payment.
The rates of payment for new participants on the scheme depends on your qualifying social welfare payment. The minimum weekly payment is €286.50.
| Qualifying payment | Rate of payment |
|---|---|
| Jobseeker’s Allowance or Farm Assist or Fish Assist | Minimum weekly payment of €254 plus €32.50 top-up. |
| One-Parent Family Payment | Minimum weekly payment of €254 plus €32.50 top-up. |
| Disability Allowance | You continue to receive your Disability Allowance with a top up payment on RSS of a minimum of €32.50 (the minimum combined payments are €286.50). |
| Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension | You continue to receive your pension with a top-up payment on RSS of a minimum of €32.50 (the minimum combined payments are €286.50). |
| Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-contributory) Pension | You continue to receive your pension with a top-up payment on RSS of a minimum of €32.50 (the minimum combined payments are €286.50). |
| Qualified adult on a State Pension (Non-contributory) | Your spouse will continue to receive the increase for a qualified adult. Your rate on the scheme will be the difference between your increase for a qualified adult payment and €286.50. |
NEW Rural Dwellers Pilot introduced.
Under this pilot, 250 places for Rural Dwellers are being made available to Implementing Bodies like West Cork Development Partnership who deliver the RSS nationally.
An RSS placement can be offered to a person who has been identified as a rural dweller and who meets the required eligibility.
Who is a Rural Dweller?
For the purposes of this pilot, a rural dweller is
- a person who is 50 years or over,
- in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment to access the RSS and
- whose primary residence is in a rural area. Eligible customers may have immediate access to RSS subject to the availability of a suitable placement.
As set out by the DRCDG Leader Programme, the rural area is defined as all parts of Ireland with the exception of the areas within the boundaries of the five main cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and Galway.
If you have previously completed a three year programme on CE, you will be entitled to apply to participate on RSS.
There are currently 85 Rural Social Scheme allocated to West Cork Development Partnership. WCDP currently has a number of Rural Social Scheme vacancies and would be very interested in hearing from potential participants, all conversations are in confidence and there is no obligation to become involved.
If a person does not meet the qualification criteria at this time but would still like to get involved on the scheme, we strongly advise that they make enquiries with their local social welfare office to determine whether they can be considered for one of the qualifying payments.
For community groups and voluntary organisations:
West Cork Development Partnership will take applications from potential project promoters for work projects that are compatible with the objectives of the RSS and fit in with the types of projects carried out under the RSS.
Please contact:
- Rural Social Scheme Coordinator :Arran O Driscoll, , West Cork Development Partnership, 3rd Floor, Credit Union Building, Clonakilty, Co. Cork 02388/34035 or arran@wcdp.ie
- RSS Supervisor: Bernard O’Sullivan – bernard@wcdp.ie Tel: 087 9632281
- RSS Supervisor: Michael O Neill – michael@wcdp.ie Tel: 087 3344962
- RSS Supervisor: Finbarr Santry – finbarrs@wcdp.ie Tel: 086 2589851
On 24 July 2024, Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Joe O’Brien TD, announced the publication of the Report on the Review of the Rural Social Scheme (RSS), at a launch event in Newport, Co Mayo. This review looked at the role of the RSS, its ongoing relevance to the changing landscape, the funding and resourcing required along with the appropriate governance/management arrangements. The review examined all aspects of the scheme including its rationale, societal impact and sustainability. The RSS review was informed by an extensive consultation process, including participants, supervisors, implementing bodies and project sponsors, as well as government departments and industry representative bodies. Key findings from the RSS Review Report include:
1. the RSS provides an important social inclusion and income support function for low-income farmers and fisherpersons
2. the RSS delivers key community services including the maintenance of sporting facilities, community recreation areas and way-marked walking routes to rural communities
3. declining participation since 2019 is causing a concern that rural communities may be left without key community services
The report includes 19 recommendations to address the sustainability of the RSS to continue to provide income support, social inclusion, and service delivery in rural communities. A full copy of the Review can be found here. Some highlights of the Review launch can be seen here.