asked the Minister for Social Welfare why a person (details supplied) in County Offaly has not been granted a single woman's allowance, since she has no income of any kind.

The person concerned was not granted single woman's allowance because a deciding officer held that her weekly rate of means derived from the value of board and lodgings on her brother's farm exceeded the statutory limit of £9 for entitlement to the allowance. She appealed against this decision and the appeals officer upheld the decision of the deciding officer.

On the question of single women's allowances—

This relates to a specific case.

—the assessment of board and lodging—

The Deputy may not widen the scope of the question.

The Minister mentioned board and lodging assessment as part of the reason for this person not having qualified. In many cases the position is that people are contributing to their board and lodging, having been taken in by some relative. In those cases the board and lodging assessment should not be put down against them. If there are found to be cases in which the board and lodging assessment is not taken into account while those concerned are assessed as having a nil income and, consequently, eligible for the maximum payment——

The Deputy is asking a question of general application whereas the question on the Order Paper relates to a particular person. The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.

Perhaps the Minister would take the remaining question.