The diet supplement is also to be discontinued which will have severe repercussions on those who previously benefited from the scheme. Significant extra costs are involved for special foods for coeliacs and persons with diabetes and so on. A person with an income of €124 receives a supplement ranging between €7 and €18 for a single person and between €12 and €23 for a married couple. The withdrawal of the supplement will cause severe hardship to many people. The Minister may say that community welfare officers can deal with hardship cases but this is transferring the blame and decision-making back into the hands of community welfare officers who are already grossly overworked.