Written answers

Tuesday, 14 November 2006

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Poverty Levels

9:00 am

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the research his Department has carried out into food poverty levels, in particular amongst children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37642/06]

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether food poverty is an issue of concern; and the measures he proposes to introduce to eradicate it. [37654/06]

Photo of Dinny McGinleyDinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the efforts he is making to combat food poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37643/06]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 131 and 167 together.

My Department through its various social insurance and assistance schemes provides income supports to people to meet their basic living needs, 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. It is expected that expenditure on diet supplements will amount to €6 million this year and benefit over 11,200 people.

My Department also provides funding for school meals through two programmes, 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 school-going children, school meals can make a substantial contribution to ensuring that children receive better nutrition. Such services can also contribute to improved school attendance and quality of learning. Expenditure on the schools meals programme for 2006 will be of the order of €13 million and will benefit some 125,000 pupils in almost 1,400 schools in 2006.

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, etc.

In this regard, consumer price index information from the Central Statistics Office indicates that the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages has increased by 1.7% over the past 12 months. In the period since December 2001, food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by just 4% in aggregate while increases in social welfare payment rates increased by between 47% and 56% in the same period.

This issue of food poverty is a broad ranging one 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.

The report entitled "Food Poverty and Policy" published in 2004 by the Combat Poverty Agency, Crosscare and the Society of St Vincent de Paul defined food poverty as "the inability to access a nutritionally adequate diet and the related impacts on health, culture and social participation".

I welcome any debate on food poverty and nutrition generally and I support awareness campaigns such as the Healthy Food for All Initiative, which followed on from the Food Poverty and Policy report. I am particularly interested in research in this area which will help to inform policy on food poverty, income adequacy and healthy eating.

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