asked the Minister for Social Welfare the savings to the Government, to date, because of the waiver of the notional system of assessment for deciding payment of unemployment assistance.

No firm estimate can be given of the amount of the reduction in expenditure arising from the abolition of the notional assessment of means in the case of certain smallholders for unemployment assistance purposes. It is tentatively estimated, however, that the reduction in overall expenditure in 1983 was approximately £1 million. It is not possible to make an estimate of the effects of the measure in 1984 to date.

Does the Minister accept that it is extraordinary that the Government propose to save £1 million as a result of cutting off supplementary allowance from the small farmers in the west at a time when they are doing very badly?

The estimate is based on trends so far. It has been arrived at following the reinvestigation of the means of those people who have been on the notional system of assessment.

Would the Minister agree that the abolition of the notional system has caused untold hardship for a large number of farmers, many of whom have been reassessed and their income cut off? They are struggling to survive on some of the smallest holdings in the country.

The people to whom the Deputy refers have the right to appeal against any assessment which they feel is unjustified.

Is the Minister aware that many of these farmers depended on the supplement which they received to stay on the land and to rear their families there? Some of them now find that they have no income whatsoever from the State, and that is causing untold hardship.

If any farmer can produce evidence to the effect that he or she has no income whatsoever, I can see no reason why the benefit should be taken from them.

Would the Minister accept that, at the moment, people are destitute because of the way in which the system is being operated? No account is being taken of the expenditure of small farmers. The whole method is completely unfair and it is causing undue hardship in the west of Ireland.

If the Deputy has any cases where he can show that no account is taken of expenditure, I should like him to bring those cases to my attention.

Does the Minister accept that the whole basis for introducing the notional system was to encourage production in the small farming areas, and to assist small farmers to stay on the land? This is not being achieved as a result of what is happening at the moment. People will get out of stock, production will fall and people will emigrate as they had to do in the mid-fifties.

As the Deputy is aware, the notional system had to be abolished following a High Court decision which was appealed to the Supreme Court. There was no option other than to abolish the notional system and introduce this system applicable to everybody else.

The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper. Deputy Haughey has been given permission to put a Private Notice Question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.