Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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263. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to allow persons in receipt of an old age pension to continue to avail of the diet supplement allowance after they transfer onto their State pension in view of the expense associated with many of the conditions covered by diet supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41038/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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. There are currently fewer than 3,000 in receipt of the diet supplement of diet supplement at a cost of €4.6 million in 2017.

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.

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. An increase in weekly means affects the rate of diet supplement payable.

The weekly increase provided in Budget 2017 delivers on the commitments as outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government – to increase the State Pension and to support an increase for people with disabilities. For this reason arrangements were put in place so that the effect of the Budget 2017 increase on weekly social welfare payments will not impact on the payment of diet supplement to existing customers.

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 their local Community Welfare Service who may be able to offer assistance.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.