asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to devise a scheme to allow the wife of a man drawing social assistance or other entitlement to receive, as of right, payment of 50 per cent of that entitlement where it is certified as being necessary to the wife and children by a qualified social worker or such other qualified person.

I already have power under existing legislation to deal with the eventuality envisaged by the Deputy. The relevant statutory regulations allow me, where I am satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, to appoint a person other than the claimant to receive and to deal with on behalf of the claimant, the portion of any social welfare payment which is payable in respect of adult and child dependants. In many cases this can represent more than 50 per cent of the total entitlement. Representations from a social worker or other suitably qualified person would, of course, be of considerable value in enabling me to decide whether I should exercise this power in any particular case.

In the light of the foregoing, I do not think that any new provisions are called for in relation to this matter.

23.