Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when he intends to introduce the new measures for the diet supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4644/06]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when he intends to introduce a revised supplement system for people on special diets to take account of the findings of the recent Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute Report which found large variations in current food prices. [4685/06]

Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when he expects to introduce the revised diet supplement payment he promised when he launched the recent report on the cost of healthy eating and the cost of special diets; the way in which the revised payment will differ from the current one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4699/06]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if and when he intends to introduce new regulations for the diet supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4649/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 38, 62 and 66 together.

Diet supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Any person who is receiving a social welfare or health service executive payment, who has been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition and who is unable to provide for his or her food needs from within his or her own resources, may qualify for a diet supplement under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Diet supplements are subject to a means test. Under the existing scheme, the amount of supplement payable in individual cases depends on which of two categories of diet — low cost or high cost — has been prescribed by the applicant's medical adviser, and the income of the individual and his or her dependants.

With effect from 1 January 2004 the diet supplement scheme was restructured to take account of increases in both social welfare payment rates and the rate of food inflation. In the case of new applicants for diet supplement the amount of supplement payable is based on increased up to date diet costs, €44 for lower cost diets or €57 for higher cost diets, less one third of the applicant's income or one sixth of the joint income in the case of a couple. Because increases in the social welfare payment rates were higher than food price inflation since 1996, the shortfall to be met by the diet supplement is less than it was in the past. However, as a special arrangement, people who were in receipt of a diet supplement prior to the introduction of the revised regulations on 1 January 2004 continue to receive their existing rate of supplement until such time as there is a change in their circumstances that would warrant a review of their cases.

In order to inform a re-appraisal of the scheme, my Department commissioned a study by an expert from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. The study examined the special diets prescribed in legislation for which assistance is available through the existing diet supplement scheme. The study also considered the appropriate level of assistance required to cater for any additional costs involved in providing for necessary special diets, relative to the cost of a normal healthy eating diet. This report was formally presented to me on 23 January 2006.

The Report of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute is the most comprehensive review of specialised diets and food costs that has been carried out in the past decade. The study found that the price of a healthy food diet in general varies considerably depending on where a person shops. Food costs in some cases can be 57% more on average in convenience stores than in the large low-cost stores.

The study recommends a new framework for classifying the various diets under which all the existing prescribed diets would fall into four categories, namely, a gluten free diet; a low lactose milk free diet; a high protein high calorie diet; and a liquidised altered consistency diet.

My Department is finalising a revised scheme and regulations which will take account of the findings and recommendations of the study. I recognise that not everybody is in a position to do their shopping at the cheapest shops. For that reason, I intend to base the new diet supplement scheme on the food costs at convenience stores in order to protect the position of those who cannot shop around due to location, age or other reason. My objective is to ensure that nobody who has been prescribed a special diet will have to spend more than one third of his or her income on food. Pending finalisation of new regulations, diet supplements continue to be provided for existing recipients and new applicants as heretofore.

In addition to improving the diet supplement scheme, I also want to ensure that other social welfare recipients can afford a healthy eating diet. The record increases in weekly social welfare payment rates introduced by the recent budget will help to achieve this.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of recipients in receipt of family income supplement at the latest date for which figures are available; the way in which this figure compares with statistics compiled by the Revenue Commissioners on the number of earners within the income limits; his plans for a campaign to promote greater awareness of family income supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4716/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The number of families benefiting from the family income supplement scheme on 3 February 2006 was 17,382. Payment was made in respect of 33,942 children.

Family income supplement, FIS, is a payment made to families who are in low-income employment with children, thereby preserving the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were fully reliant on social welfare payments.

Weekly payments of FIS are made to families, including one-parent families with children, where one or more parent is in full-time remunerative employment of not less than 19 hours per week or 38 hours per fortnight, where the employment is likely to last at least three months and where the income of the family is less than a prescribed weekly threshold. This threshold varies in line with the number of children in the family.

The number of families with incomes below these thresholds who are eligible for family income supplement are not directly comparable with income statistics compiled by the Revenue Commissioners for a number of reasons, including the fact that the Revenue data do not, generally speaking, take into account the number of hours worked, the number of children in a family nor social welfare income which might not be taxed but would still be taken into account for FIS.

It is not possible to estimate from administrative sources the number of families who would be eligible but do not apply for their entitlements under the family income supplement scheme. However, research undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, in 1997, which was based on the results of the Living in Ireland Survey 1994, suggested that fewer than one in three of potentially eligible claimants were actually in receipt of the payment. Since those with a higher entitlement are more likely to avail of the scheme, the take-up in expenditure terms was estimated to be somewhat higher, at between 35% and 38% of potential expenditure. It is expected that the ESRI will produce more recent data on family income supplement later in the first quarter of 2006.

My Department undertakes a number of proactive measures to ensure that people are aware of possible entitlement to family income supplement. These include advising all newly awarded one-parent family payment recipients, advising all employers annually in PRSI mailshots and examining entitlement for all recipients of the back to work scheme.

FIS has also been extensively advertised on local and national press and radio, in poster campaigns and targeted mailshots. Information on all social welfare schemes is also available on the Department's website and from any of the Department's local offices.

While there has been extensive publicity, I am concerned that people who may be entitled to FIS are not applying for it and my officials are currently preparing a national advertising campaign to fully inform all potential recipients of their entitlements under the FIS scheme.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who have been availing of the rent supplement for 18 months or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4645/06]

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress which has been made on the long-term initiative for rent supplement tenants as announced on 4 July 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4660/06]

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who were in receipt of the rent supplement for 18 months or more and who were passed on to the local authority for a housing assessment have had their housing needs met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4647/06]

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people receiving the rent supplement for 18 months or more who have been passed on to a local authority for a housing assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4646/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 36, 39 and 73 together.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, a weekly or monthly rent supplement is available to assist eligible people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources.

In recent years, a significant number of people have come to rely on rent supplements for extended periods, including people on local authority housing waiting lists. In response to this situation, the Government has introduced new rental assistance arrangements giving local authorities specific responsibility for meeting the longer-term housing needs of people receiving rent supplement for 18 months or more, on a phased implementation basis. When fully operational, local authorities will meet the housing needs of these individuals through a range of approaches including the traditional range of social housing options, the voluntary housing sector and, in particular, a new public-private partnership type rental accommodation scheme.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has indicated that 724 tenants have been accommodated under the rental accommodation scheme at the end of January 2006. This is the first step towards having the new arrangements fully operational nationwide by September 2008.

These arrangements are intended to be a long-term housing option for the people concerned. In order to finance this initiative €19 million was transferred from my Department's Vote to the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Vote in 2005 and a further €19 million has been transferred for 2006. Similar arrangements will apply in successive years as the new arrangements are implemented.

The rental assistance arrangements will also cater for new applicants for rent supplements and people who have been receiving rent supplement for less than 18 months as long as the local authority is satisfied that they have a long-term housing need. These people will be eligible for some form of assistance from their local authority under the scheme, whether that is contracted rental accommodation, voluntary housing or a local authority house. The question of which type of accommodation unit is provided to any individual and for how long will be a matter for the local authority to decide. Local authorities are in the process of negotiating with landlords to form a stock of contracted accommodation, as well as negotiating with the existing landlords of tenants on rent supplement.

The new rental assistance arrangements provide an imaginative additional approach in supporting people with longer-term housing needs. By definition, people on rent supplement for extended durations have a long-term housing need that they cannot otherwise meet, and many of them are on local authority housing lists.

The new scheme, particularly the rental accommodation component, will reduce housing waiting lists by providing a useful additional mechanism for providing social housing alongside more traditional social housing construction programmes and the expansion of the voluntary housing sector.

At the end of 2005, 60,176 households were in receipt of assistance under the rent supplement scheme. Over half of these, almost 33,000 tenants, have been on the scheme for 18 months or more. My Department and the Health Service Executive are actively assisting the local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in implementing the new arrangements. For example, that Department has been supplied with detailed information in relation to the 33,000 people who have been on rent supplement for 18 months or more. My Department has also provided these details to each programme manager appointed by the local authorities.

While I am disappointed that the level of tenant placements under the scheme to date is relatively low, I note that the rate of transfer has increased over the last three months. I appreciate that the scheme is a major new direction for local housing authorities and that there will undoubtedly be problems in developing a comprehensive range of options under the scheme to match demand. There may also be problems for local authorities in taking on some individual existing rented accommodation.

As the system rolls out, it is expected that local authorities will deal with any such situation using their statutory powers in relation to housing standards and provide a suitable solution under the scheme for the tenants concerned. If the local authority cannot do so immediately for any reason, there is no question of those people being left without housing support, as rent supplement can continue to be provided by my Department in their existing accommodation on a pro-tem basis until the situation is resolved.

Overall, I am satisfied that, while progress in terms of tenants transferring has been somewhat slow initially, the long-standing difficulties faced by long-term private sector tenants are being tackled and all of the relevant agencies are co-operating actively to make the new system work successfully.