asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state whether an inquiry was held into the congestion which recently occurred at the post office in Upper Ballyfermot during payment of children's allowances, and, if so, what were the findings of this inquiry.

An inquiry has been held. The congestion was caused by a temporary shortage of staff. Steps are being taken to avoid a recurrence. Some congestion is probably unavoidable at this office as over 1,000 applicants normally call there on the first day of each month on which children's allowances are payable.

The Minister must be aware that a similar position obtains in every post office. It might be a good idea if the payments were to be staggered in some cases.

In regard to the information given by the Deputy, I should like to say that the same thing occurred to me. However, this is not a matter for my Department at the moment.