Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the diet supplement, by primary social protection payment, and by county; and the cost of the supplement from 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form. [8419/16]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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83. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have lost their entitlement to the diet supplement, by reason and by county since 2011, in tabular form. [8420/16]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 83 together.

Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, 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 by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute commissioned by the Department during 2013, the scheme has been closed to new applicants from 1 February 2014. The research showed that the average costs of the diets supplemented under the scheme could be met from within one third of the current rate of personal social welfare payments. A decision was taken to allow existing recipients to continue to receive the diet supplement at the current rate of payment for as long as they continue to have an entitlement to the scheme or until their circumstances change. This measure ensured that nobody was immediately worse off by the closure of the scheme.

There are currently some 3,850 recipients of diet supplement. A breakdown of these recipients by primary social welfare payment is provided in the following tabular statement. A breakdown of recipients by county from 2011 to date is also provided. Statistics in relation to the total number of persons who have lost their entitlement to diet supplement are not maintained.

A breakdown of the costs of diet supplement is not available as these costs are provided for under the heading of “other supplements” which also include supplements such as heating and travel. Detail of expenditure on these supplements since 2011 is provided in the tabular statement.

Table 1 - Diet Supplement - Breakdown by primary Social Protection payment April 2016

Table 2 Diet Supplement – Breakdown of Recipients by County

Table 3 - Expenditure on Supplements 2011-2016 (Includes Diet, Heating and Travel)

€000