asked the Minister for Social Welfare what plans he has to give top priority to the plight of those people, including women and children, who are living in poverty and distress; and if he will outline his plans to meet this extremely urgent national problem.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Relief of Distress.
64.
It is not clear what the Deputy has in mind but I would invite his attention to the provision made through the various schemes of social insurance and social assistance administered by my Department for regular cash payments to persons who are ill, unemployed, widowed or aged and to those who are responsible for the maintenance of children. I would refer him also to the many improvements that have been made in each of the past ten years and, more particularly, to the substantial increases in benefits, including children's allowances, provided for by the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1969. The estimated total expenditure on these and related services for the current financial year, excluding administration costs, is more than £88½m. Proposals for further improvements in these services are outlined in the Third Programme for Economic and Social Development.
Does the Minister deny the existence of poverty in our society at the present time?
There is a certain amount of poverty in every society.
What does the Minister propose to do to eliminate it from our society, which is what we are interested in?
Send them Christmas cards.
I have outlined as briefly as possible—I was purposely brief because I did not want to embarrass any of the Deputies opposite—the outstanding progress in this matter that has been made by the present Government, and I have refrained from contrasting it with the lack of progress made when there was a Fine Gael Minister for Finance and when there was a Labour Minister for Social Welfare.
Could I ask the Minister whether it is true the Fianna Fáil Party intended to put a stop to children's allowances and that it was the campaign originated by the Labour Party which caused the present Government to double the children's allowances on the eve of the general election?
Is it possible that Deputy Dr. O'Donovan does not know that children's allowances were introduced by a Fianna Fáil Government and that on each occasion there was an increase it was given by a Fianna Fáil Government? They might never have existed as far as the Labour Party were concerned when they were in control of the Department of Social Welfare.
Question No. 65 postponed.
Questions Nos. 66 and 67, in the name of Deputy Ryan, are for written answers.