asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware of any cases in which persons have recently been issued with children's allowance books for a three-month period to expire at the end of this year or in January, 1977.

I am not so aware but I can inform the Deputy that approximately 102,000 persons, whose current children's allowance books are due to expire following the payment of their December allowances, have been issued with allowance books in respect of the three-month period from January to March, 1977. This was necessary to complete the changeover from allowance books containing payment orders for two years to books containing orders for 12 months only, which will apply in all cases from April next. The purpose of the change is to improve the payments system of children's allowances.