asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the protracted nature of the POWU strike and the lack of any means of support of the workers involved, who are now suffering severe and immediate hardship, social welfare allowances under section 15 of the Social Welfare Act will be granted in the case of married persons.

Any question of payment of an allowance in an urgent case under the provisions of section 15 of the Social Welfare (Supplementary Welfare Allowances) Act, 1975, to a person affected by a trade dispute is a matter for determination by the health board concerned having regard to the particular circumstances of that person. It is not possible, in the absence of the facts applying in each case, to say what the decision would be in the event of applications for allowances being made by persons affected by the Post Office dispute.