Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have availed of the special dietary supplementary welfare allowance scheme each year for the past five years. [9905/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Diet supplement, under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition.

Following the outcome of a review of the costs of healthy eating and specialised diets commissioned by the Department during 2013, the scheme has been closed to new applicants from 1 February 2014. Payment of the supplement will continue to be made to the 6,000 existing recipients for as long as they continue to be entitled to the payment.

The number of persons in receipt of the diet supplement scheme has continued to reduce in recent years and details of recipient numbers for the period 2009 to 2014 is provided in the attached tabular statement.

Diet Supplement Recipients 2009 to 2014