asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider changing the regulations pertaining to the payment of the prescribed relative allowance to allow payment to be made to the relative rather than the incapacitated person; and having regard to the cost of maintaining a patient, if he will consider increasing the amount of the payment in the forthcoming budget.

The prescribed relative allowance was introduced to meet the needs of households where certain pensioners were receiving full time care and attention from relatives. It is not a payment in its own right but is an increase in the pension of the incapacitated person and as such is included in the amount of pension paid to the pensioner.

In the light of the general review of the services which is being undertaken by the Commission on Social Welfare I will be reviewing the role of the prescribed relative allowance as part of overall policy with regard to caring for incapacitated people. In the course of the review the person to whom the allowance is paid will be considered. The question of increasing the amount of the allowance will be considered in the normal way in the context of the forthcoming budget.

Can the Minister not see the difficulties that could arise? An individual looking after an incapacitated relative could have great difficulty in getting the allowance.

I would not disagree, but the allowance is being received by the person being looked after and that person can make his own arrangements to pay the person who is looking after him. It is usual that somebody would collect the pension and then arrangements could be made to work out an arrangement between them.

If an incapacitated person could not get somebody to look after him, he would have to be taken into the geriatric unit of the general hospital. The amount being paid by way of allowance is not sufficiently attractive to encourage such people to stay at home, and we must take into consideration the cost of maintaining patients in hospitals.

As I indicated in my reply, the commission on social welfare have this matter under review and when they report we will look at it.