asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will extend the prescribed relatives allowance to married people who care for their aged parents or parents-in-law, who otherwise would be institutionalised.

The allowance was intended to provide assistance where the prescribed relative is residing with and giving full time care and attention to an incapacitated pensioner thereby being prevented from following an occupation and where normally no other adult resided in the household. It was not intended for the type of case mentioned by the Deputy where a married couple would be expected to have their own means and would be self-supporting.

These were the intentions underlying the scheme and changes are not contemplated.

482.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she is considering extending dental benefit to include wives who work full time in the home.

483.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is proposed to extend dental benefit to mothers working in the home.

484.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is proposed to extend optical benefits to mothers working in the home.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 482 to 484, inclusive, together.

The Programme for Government, 1981-1986, contains a commitment that the Government will extend dental and optical benefits to the wives of insured workers. Wives working full-time in the home will accordingly qualify for these benefits if their husbands are insured workers and satisfy the contribution conditions.