Dietary Allowance Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2016

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Questions (82, 83)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

82. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the diet supplement, by primary social protection payment, and by county; and the cost of the supplement from 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form. [8419/16]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

83. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have lost their entitlement to the diet supplement, by reason and by county since 2011, in tabular form. [8420/16]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 83 together.

Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition.

Following the outcome of a review of the costs of healthy eating and specialised diets by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute commissioned by the Department during 2013, the scheme has been closed to new applicants from 1 February 2014. The research showed that the average costs of the diets supplemented under the scheme could be met from within one third of the current rate of personal social welfare payments. A decision was taken to allow existing recipients to continue to receive the diet supplement at the current rate of payment for as long as they continue to have an entitlement to the scheme or until their circumstances change. This measure ensured that nobody was immediately worse off by the closure of the scheme.

There are currently some 3,850 recipients of diet supplement. A breakdown of these recipients by primary social welfare payment is provided in the following tabular statement. A breakdown of recipients by county from 2011 to date is also provided. Statistics in relation to the total number of persons who have lost their entitlement to diet supplement are not maintained.

A breakdown of the costs of diet supplement is not available as these costs are provided for under the heading of “other supplements” which also include supplements such as heating and travel. Detail of expenditure on these supplements since 2011 is provided in the tabular statement.

Table 1 - Diet Supplement - Breakdown by primary Social Protection payment April 2016

Primary Payment	Recipients
Disability Allowance	1,474
Illness Benefit	60
Invalidity Pension	498
Long Term Jobseekers Allowance	219
Short Term Jobseeker's Allowance	39
Employment Support Services	30
Jobseeker's Benefit	9
State Pensions	799
Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension	260
Pre- Retirement Allowance	16
One-Parent Family Payment	119
Supplementary Welfare Allowance	66
Department for Work and Pensions UK	23
Other	237
Total	3,849

Table 2 Diet Supplement – Breakdown of Recipients by County

-	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016 (16/04/16)
Carlow	125	111	98	84	76	76
Cavan	130	116	111	100	58	53
Clare	127	132	115	85	58	48
Cork	894	802	676	540	450	428
Donegal	119	124	126	100	86	79
Dublin	2877	2603	2233	1842	1583	1470
Galway	279	255	216	150	121	112
Kerry	155	123	116	93	71	67
Kildare	215	212	199	162	146	138
Kilkenny	115	115	100	87	79	76
Laois	133	137	126	105	78	75
Leitrim	27	28	23	14	11	10
Limerick	401	367	321	271	230	220
Longford	74	73	70	58	52	49
Louth	175	173	162	135	113	101
Mayo	121	120	87	61	50	47
Meath	145	158	139	107	93	91
Monaghan	63	60	52	48	42	39
Offaly	164	151	147	131	121	114
Roscommon	134	126	89	59	54	51
Sligo	36	39	41	26	19	18
Tipperary	346	336	293	229	186	171
Waterford	151	90	66	61	45	40
Westmeath	92	98	96	86	69	62
Wexford	236	235	209	170	131	123
Wicklow	238	226	156	132	98	91
Total	7572	7010	6067	4936	4120	3849

Table 3 - Expenditure on Supplements 2011-2016 (Includes Diet, Heating and Travel)

€000

2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016 (Provisional to end of March)
12,766	11,248	9,526	8,125	7,380	1,757