asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will make provision that persons in receipt of widows' and orphans' pensions shall be considered as necessitous and eligible for free footwear under the Government scheme.

Parents or guardians of children up to the age of 16 years who are in receipt of home assistance are eligible for the granting of vouchers for free footwear under the free footwear scheme. Applicants for official footwear who are not in receipt of home assistance are required to make an appropriate contribution towards the cost of any footwear allowed, but the amount of such contribution is a matter for determination by the public assistance authority.

Under the Public Assistance Act, 1939, the public assistance authority is the proper authority for determining whether any applicant for footwear for a dependent child is necessitous and for providing such assistance by way of free footwear or otherwise as may be necessary.

The Parliamentary Secretary has not answered the question on the Order Paper. I asked him if he will make provision that persons in receipt of widows' and orphans' pensions shall be considered as necessitous and eligible for free footwear under the Government's scheme. As to his reply, which dealt with the board of assistance, will widows who have only the same allowance as that coming from the board of assistance, and in some cases less, be made eligible so that those who have this miserable widows' and orphans' allowance will get free footwear for their children?

As I have already informed the Deputy, the determination of necessity in this matter is entirely in the hands of the local authority.

I have asked will he make provision, as the Parliamentary Secretary who has the power——

He has not the power. That is the point.

Will he make provision so that the children of those coming under the widows' and orphans' pensions scheme shall get the same benefits as those receiving home assistance?

The Parliamentary Secretary has no statutory power to make such a provision.

He can make a recommendation and has introduced measures for different purposes.

That is a different matter.

I put a question and I should like a straight answer.

The straight answer is that the Minister has no statutory power to do what the Deputy requests.

I beg to contradict that and say that the Minister has the power to make a recommendation.

Question 16 by Deputy Davin.

The question has not been answered.

The next question has been called and when it is called there must be no further supplementaries.

The question has not been answered.

Question 16 by Deputy Davin.

The question was not answered.

When the next question is called the previous one is finished.

It was not answered.