Vol. 434 No. 2
161 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of the dietary allowance operated by the Eastern Health Board on behalf of his Department; the annual cost of the scheme; whether the amounts paid out are standard or open to the individual officer's discretion; and if there were reductions in the allowances earlier in 1993.
People in receipt of social welfare or health board payments who have a special dietary requirement arising from a health condition and whose means are insufficient to meet this need, may qualify for an additional payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Entitlement to payment of a diet supplement is determined by the relevant health board.
In the Eastern Health Board the payment of a diet supplement is based on standard costed diets which are approved by the Irish Nutritional Dietary Institute. The payment is not uniform but reflects the additional cost to the person of the special diet over and above the amount a person would be expected to pay for a normal diet from their basic social welfare payment. Diet supplements are reviewed regularly and may be adjusted to follow changes in a person's diet or increases in the persons's basic social welfare payment.
The annual cost of diet supplements in the Eastern Health Board area is estimated at £1 million. The Eastern Health Board has advised that there has been no reduction in the level of diet supplements in 1993.
