asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider introducing legislation to amend the Social Welfare Act, 1973, in regard to children's allowances so as to include students who were unable to be accommodated in a day school and who are attending night school in pursuit of full-time education.

An amendment of the kind suggested by the Deputy is not at present contemplated.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that because of the serious unemployment situation many young people who are forced to return to full-time education find that the schools cannot accommodate them with the result that they have to settle for evening classes but are not considered eligible for children's allowances?

The Deputy will appreciate that the question of school accommodation is not one for my Department.

That is an evasive answer. The Parliamentary Secretary is responsible for the area of children's allowances.

A question please, Deputy.

These children are fulfilling the obligation of full-time education and, consequently, should qualify for children's allowances.

That is not a question. The Deputy knows the rules.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary give any indication of the number of applicants to whom children's allowances were refused as a result of those children being unable to secure day accommodation in schools?

That is a separate question.

I am talking about children's allowances. The regulations state specifically that children in full-time education should qualify for these allowances.

The Deputy will appreciate that until this Government came to office children's allowances were not paid in respect of children who had reached the age of 16, regardless of whether they were still at school. There has been a considerable improvement in that situation in the past few years so that children between the ages of 16 and 18 who are engaged in full-time education or who are serving recognised apprenticeships qualify for children's allowances. All I can say to the Deputy is that there is no change contemplated in the law in that respect.

I have not had an answer to my question. Can the Parliamentary Secretary give an indication of the number of applicants who were refused children's allowances in cases where their children were unable to secure day accommodation in schools?

The only information I have at hand is that the number of payments in respect of children's allowances amounts to 1,085,000 and that children's allowances are also paid in respect of 80,000 children in the 16 to 18 age group. Consequently the Deputy will appreciate that this Government have made it possible for these allowances to be paid in respect of an additional 80,000 children.

The Government are saving thousands of pounds on this.