Will the Minister agree that the officials dealing with this type of benefit have cut down considerably on the amount of money allowed to people making application for this benefit, with particular reference to the Tallaght area?

No, that is not the position. For example, for the Eastern Health Board area in 1981 the amount was £7.7 million; in 1982 it was £12.7 million; in 1983 it was £14.7 million; in 1984 it was £17.5 million, and now in 1985 it is £20.5 million. To give an example of the other health board areas, in the Western Health Board area in 1981 it was £2.2 million; in 1982 it was £2.4 million; in 1983 it was £2.8 million, and in 1984 it was £3.2 million. If you take any health board area, a very substantial increase in overall payments from——

The individual payment is the question asked.

Surely the Minister must agree that the number of people unemployed has increased considerably from 1981 to 1985. It is not that the Department are paying out more money, it is that the numbers have increased and that is why the Minister has had to increase the amount of money mentioned by him, but that does not mean that the amount of money paid to the individuals making applications for health benefits has increased.

I would not accept that. There have been changes in, for example, the payment of ESB bills. The cost of electricity has increased and the once-off payments or those made twice or three times a year have been matched by the health boards. The over-riding point is that the health boards have authority to make the payments. We get the return of payments made at year end.

We try to estimate what money is likely to be spent by the health boards. It is an estimated figure. We can do no more than that. There has not been any cutback, as has been alleged. I am such a victim of political propaganda that I am quite pragmatic about it now. There have been allegations of a cutback in this area but the payments are being made to a very substantial number of people.