asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends examining the anomaly in the administration of social welfare payments where only the wives of those prisoners serving over six months are entitled to prisoners' wives allowance.

The legislation governing the prisoners' wives allowances scheme which was introduced in 1974, provides for payment of an allowance in respect of the wives and children of prisoners who are sentenced to terms of imprisonment of six months or more. I have no proposals to alter this statutory provision.

Wives of prisoners serving short-term sentences who are in need may be eligible for supplementary welfare allowance.

The Deputy is aware that I will be shortly setting up a review group to examine the operation of the Department schemes including the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. I am arranging to have the prisoners' wives allowance scheme reviewed in this context.

Can the Minister say what proportion of prisoners' families are covered by the social welfare payments as they stand?

That is a statistical question for which I do not have the information on file. If the Deputy puts down such a question I will get him the answer. In fact, I will communicate with the Deputy afterwards if he wishes.

Is it the Minister's intention to give the allowance to all prisoners' wives?

It is my intention to have the matter considered in the context of the review which has taken place now. There are practical administrative difficulties if the sentence is short because one is involved in issuing a book and there is a long-term arrangement. So the practicalities would have to be considered.

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