Public Consultation on the Rural Social Scheme Review

• 1. Background
• 2. Share your views
• 3. Contact details
• 4. Deadline

• 5. What will happen to what you say
• 6. Privacy information
• 7. Documents

Background

The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) was launched in May 2004 to provide financial support to eligible low-income farmers and fisherpersons in receipt of certain long-term social welfare payments while also enabling them to use their skills to provide services to benefit rural communities.

The work is mainly to support local community, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations, as long as it does not displace existing services or employment. Communities in turn benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fisherpersons since they can be easily adapted to most tasks.

There are 3,350 participant places plus 139 supervisor places available on the scheme.

The Rural Social Scheme is delivered through 35 Local Development Companies and Údarás Na Gaeltachta. These are also known as Implementing Bodies (IBs).

Participation is by voluntary self-selection and is dependent on the availability of vacancies in the relevant area. Participants work for 19.5 hours a week.

We will review various aspects of the scheme including:

• the rationale
• sustainability
• societal impact
• funding arrangements
• future governance and management of the scheme

The review will also examine:

• the role of the scheme
• its ongoing relevance to the changing landscape
• the funding and resourcing required

The full purpose of the consultation are available in the terms of reference

Share your views

The invites for written submissions are open until Friday 16 June 2023. The consultation will take place with present stakeholders in the scheme, relevant community groups and representative bodies across Ireland and members of the public. A steering group is supporting the implementation of the review and findings from the process with help to improve future of the Rural Social Scheme.

We now invite interested parties, representative groups and the public to give their views by way of a written submission.

If you are making a written submission, please use the template here .

You can email your completed submission directly to [email protected]

Before making a submission please review the privacy information below.

Contact details

Email[email protected]

Address: RSS Review, Community Schemes Unit, Department of Social Protection, Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim

Deadline

The closing date for submissions is 5.30pm on Friday 16 of June 2023.

What will happen to what you say

Findings from the public consultation process will be considered by the department.

Please note that submissions may be published on the department's website.

Privacy information

This is a public consultation and the Freedom of Information Act 2014 applies.

Personal information should not be provided and any personal information which you volunteer may be published. Any material which you do not wish to be made public should not be included.

Material or information that is regarded as commercially sensitive by you should not be included.

However, if you provide it, you should clearly identify the material and the reason for its sensitivity and why it should not be published or made available under the Freedom of Information Act.

The department's full Privacy Statement and Data Protection Policy are here.

Documents