asked the Minister for Social Welfare the percentage of Exchequer spending on social welfare benefits in each of the last five years.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to have the reply, which is in the form of a tabular statement, circulated with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:

EXCHEQUER contribution as a percentage of expenditure on benefits from the Social Insurance Fund.

NOTE: Social welfare benefits are taken to be benefits paid out of the Social Insurance Fund, the deficit on which is made up by the Exchequer.

Could the Minister indicate whether the percentage has been static or has been increasing or decreasing over the period involved?

It has been fluctuating considerably.

The Deputy may not pursue a question answered by tabular statement.

Could he indicate whether the percentage——

The Chair will not permit me to elaborate on a tabular statement.

In my indulgence I permitted the Deputy to ask a casual question.

Is the percentage fluctuating on an upward trend?

I do not understand why a question, replied to by way of tabular statement—which conveniently obviates the necessity of the Minister giving the answer orally in the House —cannot be pursued by way of supplementary questions.

I am merely going by Standing Orders.

There is precedent for it.

I suspect the Chair is protecting the Deputy because the answer will not be too satisfactory from his point of view.

I am endeavouring to find out whether the percentage for 1978 will represent an increase on that for 1977.

I could not give the Deputy that kind of information because that percentage is not yet established.

Of course the Minister could because we all know it is going to be a decrease.

It is not yet established. If the Deputy knows that, he knows more than the Government. I can tell the Deputy that between 1973-74 and 1977 it went down from 30 per cent to 19 per cent under the jurisdiction of the Deputy's party.

It is extraordinary.

From 30 per cent to 19 per cent.

Will the Minister make a statement?

I am perfectly prepared to do so but the Ceann Comhairle will not let me.

The Minister offered to make a statement but——

Under the Fine Gael-dominated Coalition the percentage went down from 30 per cent in 1973-74 to 19 per cent in 1977. I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, that you could not protect the Deputy from that devastating piece of information.

What is the percentage for 1978?

It is not yet settled.

Was it fixed yesterday?

It was not fixed yesterday. The Deputy does not understand the procedures.

I am not going to get another lecture from the Minister——

I have given the Deputy a devastating statistic. I am not giving him a lecture.

We all remember what happened to the Minister the last time he started to give an economic lecture to anyone.

The Deputy keeps interrupting and I am endeavouring to answer.

Next question.

I am endeavouring to facilitate the House by giving the maximum possible information in reply to these questions and this obstreperous Deputy keeps interrupting me with a barrage of harassment and bad manners.

I object to the Minister speaking about me in this way. I am asking questions which I am entitled to ask. I do not see why he should make that sort of remark.

So far as I could hear, I think the Deputy was making some derogatory remarks about me in my capacity as Minister for Finance some years ago, which I am not now.

The Minister must have been listening to another Deputy.