Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What the Minister is saying, essentially, is that we are moving from a situation where people are entitled to the allowance to one where it will be paid entirely at the discretion of the local social welfare official. What the Minister did not say, although I had included it in my question, was how much per annum the Government envisaged it would save through this measure.

Two groups are particularly affected. First, there are people suffering from a coeliac disease. As the Minister will be aware, they were entitled to get their gluten-free food on a medical card but that concession has now been withdrawn. The special diet supplement has also been withdrawn.

The second category comprises people who have difficulty in swallowing and need liquidised diets because they may be stroke victims or suffering from throat cancer. Would the Minister agree that this is a very small and particularly vulnerable group of people? If her Department continues paying those already in payment and the numbers are dropping, will the savings not be minimal? Can the Minister tell us how much the Government will save as a result of this decision?

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