Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar has confirmed to me that 55 new Rural Social Scheme places are being allocated to Galway which brings to 325 the number of participants on the Rural Social Scheme.
This increase in places on the Rural Social Scheme is the first since 2006 and I commend Minister Varadkar who has met with Rural Social Scheme participants and has seen first-hand the important and valuable work undertaken by participants.
Many of the extra places will be implemented by partner organisations including Galway Rural Development which will oversee 188 places, an increase of 32, and Forum Connemara which will oversee 24 places, an increase of 10 for this year.
In addition, Údarás na Gaeltachta will receive a further 8 Rural Social Scheme Places while an extra 5 places are being allocated to Galway’s islands which brings to 25 the number of RSS places on the islands.
In Mayo an additional 79 places are being provided across the county and will be administered by local development companies.
The work carried out under the Scheme helps to support a substantial number of organisations, clubs, community groups and rural facilities across Galway and Mayo. Participants work on a wide range of projects which benefit communities across Galway and Mayo including village and rural enhancement projects, social care for older persons, caretaking at community and sporting facilities as well as assisting community organisations, heritage centres and Tidy Towns projects.
The Scheme also provides an important additional source of income for people working part time in farming or fisheries. This increase is one of the 276 actions in the comprehensive Action Plan for Rural Ireland – ‘Realising Our Rural Potential’ – which will be launched in the coming days.