asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider substituting a family income supplement on the lines of that operating in Great Britain for the present home assistance scheme.

Family income supplement on the British lines would not be a suitable substitute for home assistance. This supplement is provided only to persons in regular full-time employment on low incomes who have at least one dependent child. Home assistance is intended to meet the needs of persons with or without dependants who are unable to provide the necessaries of life for themselves or their dependants. It is payable to persons in employment only in exceptional circumstances.

The Parliamentary Secretary is not correct in saying that the family income is supplemented. This is a form of home assistance to bring the income up to a proper level and this is where the home assistance scheme does not perform the function for which it was intended. In Britain, the supplement is designed to bring the level of income to that which would be normal to meet the cost of living and this is what I am asking to have done here. I am asking for a similar scheme here to replace the home assistance scheme.

Question No. 50.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary bring this to the attention of the Minister for Social Welfare and to the attention also of the Minister for Finance?

Would the Deputy please sit down and allow questions to continue?

I am entitled to ask supplementary questions.