Written answers

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Dietary Allowance Administration

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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623. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to reinstate the dietary allowance as a stand-alone payment as it was pre-2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47431/19]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina 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 2,100 people in receipt of diet supplement at a cost of €1.1 million in 2019.

A review of the costs of healthy eating and specialised diets by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute was commissioned by my department during 2013. The research showed that the average costs across all of the retail outlets of the diets supplemented under the scheme could 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 current weekly rate of SWA is €201.  I am advised that the diet supplement scheme was discontinued for new applicants from 1 February 2014 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.

In cases of particular hardship, officials continue to have the legislative power to award a SWA payment in cases of exceptional need.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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