Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the measures he has taken to tackle food poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17156/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Weekly payments through the various social assistance schemes are intended to provide income to meet the basic living needs of recipients, including food, clothing, heat and light. Supplements are also payable in certain circumstances for specific needs, for example, fuel allowances, rent supplements, living alone allowance for older people or the household benefits package for pensioners, eligible disabled people and carers. Where people on low incomes have particular medical conditions or dietary requirements, diet supplements are available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive.

My Department also provides funding for school meals under two strands, namely, the urban school meals scheme and the local projects scheme. The urban school meals scheme operates in conjunction with certain local authorities and is co-funded by my Department. The local projects scheme provides funding to secondary, national, pre-schools and community groups in both urban and rural areas who provide school meals. For families with schoolgoing children, school meals can make a real and important contribution to ensuring that children receive better nutrition. Such services can also contribute to improved school attendance and quality of learning.

While considerable progress has been made in recent years in tackling consistent poverty, some studies have focused on specific aspects such as fuel and food poverty in particular. The report entitled "Food Poverty and Policy", published recently by Crosscare, the Combat Poverty Agency and the Society of the St. Vincent de Paul, defined food poverty as "the inability to access a nutritionally adequate diet and the related impact on health, culture and social participation". This is a broad ranging issue and is affected by dietary and nutritional awareness, cultural attitudes and access to good quality grocery shopping, as well as to the adequacy of social welfare income supports.

In recent years, budgetary increases in social welfare payment rates have consistently exceeded increases in the cost of living. This key policy is the primary focus of budget allocations to my Department each year and it has helped ensure that those depending on social welfare experience real improvement in their ability to meet their basic needs, including provision of adequate food, heating and so forth. I consider this to be the most effective way overall of improving the standard of living of those who depend on social welfare income, along with measures to support and encourage people of working age to take up employment or educational opportunities to help improve their financial position.

At a broader level, I endorse recent calls for the food industry to take an active and responsible attitude in improving the nutritional quality of food and to inform and educate people generally about better nutrition and healthy eating options at affordable prices. I will continue to keep this issue under review, particularly in the context of the recent task force report on tackling obesity.