asked the Minister for Social Welfare if (a) social assistance allowance and (b) children's allowance are paid to unmarried mothers under 16 years.

Social assistance allowance and children's allowance are paid to unmarried mothers under 16 years. The Minister for Social Welfare has power, however, to nominate a suitable person to receive payment on behalf of an unmarried mother if he considers it desirable to do so in a particular case.

I did not get the answer clearly but I take it that an unmarried mother under 16 years is not automatically entitled to those allowances?

She is entitled to those allowances but a Minister for Social Welfare can nominate some other member of the household to receive the allowance.

If the situation happens to be that there is no other obvious person in the household what would happen?

If she lived in a household it would be the person who is regarded as head of the household, I presume.

If by chance she is living in a flat with her child what is the position?

If she is living on her own she automatically gets the two allowances.

On application?

Yes. She may elect to have the allowance paid to the head of the household if there is such, but if she is living on her own she gets the allowance and, of course, the children's allowance for the baby.

10.