andMr. McAuliffe asked the Minister for Defence if he is aware that special allowances have been reduced when the recipient's wife qualified for a noncontributory old age pension; and whether he will now restore the reduction made in cases where the holder has since qualified for a contributory old age pension and allowance in respect of his wife.

I am aware that where a person who is over 70 years of age is in receipt of a special allowance and a non-contributory old age pension and the spouse is granted a non-contributory old age pension, one pension is then assessed as means at a reduced rate of 24/- a week, thus decreasing the special allowance. The total income, however, from the combined old age pensions and the special allowance is increased.

As to the second part of the question, I would refer the Deputies to my reply to the question put by them and Deputies Kyne and Tierney on the 16th instant.