asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider extending the free telephone rental facilities to old age pensioners who are married couples, in cases where one of the pensioners is invalided and provide medical evidence to prove such invalidity.

As announced in this year's Budget Statement, the free telephone rental allowance scheme is being extended with effect from 1 April 1979 to include all Department of Social Welfare old age type pensioners where the only other person residing in the household is permanently incapacitated. This extension will apply to the type of case which the Deputy has in mind.