Top government official wonders how farmers can cope with ‘quite complex’ farm assist claims

Conditionality, means test, quite complex in income support scheme  for low-income farmers 

John McKeon, Secretary-General of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: has sympathy for farmers dealing with the complexities of the farm assist scheme.

Sympathy for farmers dealing with the complexities of the farm assist scheme has been expressed by John McKeon, Secretary-General of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. “I often wonder how any farmer could possibly get the claim right, since it is quite complex in many respects,” he told the Public Accounts Committee.

He also said the farm assist payment has the highest level of hours. “It is a small scheme, but the conditionality and means test are quite complex for the farm assist scheme.