asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state separately the current estimated number of families in the State with one, two, three, four and five children, and the annual estimated cost of an increase of 10s per month in the children's allowance for the fourth and subsequent child.

The reply is in the form of a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to have circulated with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:

In addition, children's allowances were in payment to 32,341 families with more than five children. The estimated annual cost of an increase of 10s per month in the rate of children's allowance for the fourth and each subsequent qualified child is, approximately, £1,375,000.

52.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total number of one child families in the State as of the nearest available date; and the total annual children's allowance payment made to such families at the current rate.

As at 1st March, 1970, the number of one child families in receipt of children's allowance was 88,442, the annual cost thereof at the current rate of 10s per month being approximately £530,652.