asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to a report that Dublin Corporation were prepared to give an increased allowance to blind persons but that he would not sanction the increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

My attention was drawn to a Press report to this effect which was, in fact, inaccurate and misleading. The fact is that Dublin Corporation proposed to give the considerable increase of 33? per cent. on the existing not ungenerous scale of allowance paid by it to necessitous and unemployable blind living in their own homes. No reason was given by the Corporation for the proposed increase in these allowances to an extent so much out of step with increases awarded to other sections of the community. It was asked to reconsider the matter and later proposed a more moderate increase which was approved on 24th March last, with effect from the 4th January, 1960.