Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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576. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of dietary supplement under 18 years of age; the number of persons in receipt of dietary supplement under 22 years of age in full-time education; the number of persons over 18 years of age in receipt of dietary supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30825/17]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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577. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will reinstate diet supplements for persons suffering from coeliac disease and throat cancer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30826/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together.

Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) 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. The Government has provided €4.6 million for the scheme in 2017.

There are currently approximately 3,100 persons in receipt of the diet supplement of which 15 are aged 22 years and under (of which 3 are aged 18 years and under). Department records do not indicate the education status of these young people. Diet supplement can be paid to a recipient in respect of a qualified child or qualified adult, however, statistics are not available on these cases, including details of their age or education status.

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. This independent research showed that the average costs across all of the retail outlets of the diets supplemented under the scheme can be met from within one third of the minimum personal rate of social welfare payment, i.e. the SWA rate which was then paid at €186 per week. The weekly rate of SWA has recently increased to €191 further to Budget 2017. The diet supplement scheme was discontinued for new applicants on the basis of this evidence and I have no plans to reverse this decision.

Existing recipients 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.

In cases of particular hardship, officials continue to have the legislative power to award a SWA payment in cases of exceptional need. Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to financial support should contact the Community Welfare Service at their local Intreo centre who may be able to offer assistance.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.