asked the Minister for Finance if the £9.60 per week for women in the home will be paid to the following categories: widows, old age pensioners, the unemployed, blind pensioners, unmarried mothers, deserted wives and the disabled.

17.

asked the Minister for Finance how the £9.60 per week will be paid to old age pensioners; and how the tax claw back will be operated in the case of the husband.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Question Nos. 16 and 17 together.

Information regarding the persons who qualify for the weekly payment of £9.60 is set out in the press advertisements now appearing. The payment applies only in the case of married couples living together. The wife working full-time in the family home whose income is not in excess of £1,040 and whose husband is liable for tax will qualify for the weekly payment. Where the total family taxable income is between £2,000 and £4,000 the weekly payment will also be paid to the stay-at-home wife. The treatment of social welfare payments in relation to eligibility for the £9.60 payment is still under consideration.

The legislation giving effect to the scheme, which will set out the various details of its operation, will shortly be introduced in the House.

In his reply the Minister referred us to the newspaper advertisements. Perhaps we should be reading the newspapers and not asking questions here. According to his answer to question No. 15, the Minister does not seem to know the cost of processing or whether one can apply at a date later than 16 December, but I want to ask about widows. Is the Minister saying categorically that widows are excluded? I raised the question of the widows because—

The Deputy is not allowed to make a speech. He should ask a brief question.

This is a family income supplement and is stated to be such in the advertisements to which the Minister referred. The widow is a single parent, a wife full time in the home. Will this allowance apply to a widow in that situation, because there is a benefit here of £27 million?

The widow will not qualify for the £9.60 allowance, but in accordance with the Government's programme she will qualify for a double tax credit. In other words, a widow will receive a tax credit equivalent to that which she and her husband, if he were alive, would receive. This is a major advance on the previous treatment of widows in our tax and welfare system.

Would the Minister agree that the improved tax allowances will be of very little benefit to the majority of widows because the only way they could benefit would be if the tax credit was turned into a direct payment? Will the Minister be frank and tell the House that the vast majority of women cannot benefit in any way under the scheme? In addition to the straight transfer, the Minister is giving a direct benefit of £25 million but he is not giving any of that benefit to widows in that position.

For the purpose of supplementaries the Deputy should ask a brief and relevant question.

In so far as they are tax payers, they will benefit greatly under the new provisions in regard to the double tax allowance which will be available to them. In so far as they are not tax payers but are receiving assistance under the social welfare code, they will be cared for by the Government under the social welfare provisions.