asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if financial arrangements will be made to facilitate pensioners whose 405 line television sets are now obsolete.

(Dublin South-Central): There is no statutory provision for giving financial assistance to persons whose television sets become obsolete.

Would the Minister agree to draw the attention of the health boards, who are responsible for the administration of supplementary welfare allowances, to the potential hardship that could be caused to some pensioners by the fact that their television sets have become obsolete? Would he ask them to bear this in mind when giving this assistance to these pensioners?

(Dublin South-Central): The Department of Social Welfare would be the more appropriate Department.

In view of the fact that the bodies concerned are under the aegis of his Department, would he interest himself in this matter and ask the health boards to bear this fact in mind?

(Dublin South-Central): I will ask them.