asked the Minister for Education if he will ascertain from Kerry vocational authorities why they did not provide free books for the children of an applicant (name supplied) who holds a medical card and whose wife was a TB patient; and if the books will be supplied in future and the applicant recouped any expenditure to date.

I arranged that my Department should advise all vocational education committees by circular letter of general guide-lines for the administration of the free book scheme. I also arranged that the committees would be given full discretion in the allocation of the grants paid to them for the operation of the scheme. Accordingly, I do not propose to enter into the merits of individual cases with vocational education committees.