asked the Taoiseach the total number of persons drawing unemployment assistance in mid-April 1977 or on the latest available date.

The number of applicants for unemployment assistance at the 6th May, 1977, was 50,607.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary say if the people on unemployment assistance are living below the poverty line?

There is no recognition of the existence of a poverty line for the purpose of the CSO.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary indicate if the figures given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Welfare as to the number of people living below the poverty line would be included in this 50,000 or would they be in addition to the 50,000?

The Deputy has been over this ground with me about three weeks ago, and I explained to him that a conception like a poverty line which might be used by the Department of Social Welfare for their purposes had nothing to do with the figures which the Central Statistics Office compiled for their purposes.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary say what is the poverty line at the moment?

No, Sir.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, should a person who is drawing unemployment assistance take up employment temporarily, even for a week, he is then debarred from going back on assistance?

The Deputy is raising a matter of policy which is not for the Parliamentary Secretary but for the appropriate Minister.

I think it is relevant to this question.

It is a matter requiring a question to the appropriate Minister.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary expand that figure he mentioned to include the dependants of people who are drawing unemployment assistance? Would he have that information?

No, I am afraid I have not.