asked the Minister for Social Welfare if the Government intend to introduce the child benefit scheme in 1986; if not, the income support which will be given to families in the lower income groups to alleviate the suffering and poverty caused by the effects of long term unemployment and excessive taxation and the loss of food subsidies; and if special consideration will be given to these categories this year.

24.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is intended to proceed with the new child benefit scheme as proposed in Building on Reality, 1985-1987; if so, when it is intended to introduce the scheme; if it is intended the benefit will be taxed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 24 together.

The child benefit scheme with provision for a taxable child benefit payable to mothers will be introduced as soon as it is possible to do so. There are a number of major administrative problems associated with the introduction of the scheme. These are at present under consideration. The provisions for child support to be made in 1986 will be announced in the context of the budget.

The Minister used very vague terms talking about the child benefit scheme. Will the child benefit scheme be introduced in 1986?

The Government's intentions will be announced in next week's Budget Statement.

In view of the comments of various newspaper correspondents about the fact that the child benefit scheme was being put aside or not being implemented——

Newspaper correspondents can anticipate the budget, but we cannot.

I would not for one moment endeavour to anticipate the budget. I should like to know whether the Government will honour something contained in this now infamous document Building on Reality——

That would be anticipating the budget.

——one of the cornerstones of income aid for low income families was going to be——

This is a speech.

I am asking the Minister but probably he will tell me that he will ask the Commission on Social Welfare.

I have ruled it out of order on the grounds that obviously it is anticipating the budget.

I would not do anything like that.

The Deputy is totally innocent.

The Deputy may not be conscious that he is doing it but nevertheless he is.

As Deputy Griffin said, I am totally innocent; I would not even think remotely about doing something like that. The Minister mentioned earlier the family income supplement. We all know that the family income supplement was one of the national jokes. It was supposed to give benefit to 35,000 low income families. It was introduced in October 1984, backdated to the previous September, to allow poor Deputy Bell a chance to keep on stream. Does the Minister realise that of the 35,000 families to benefit on that date only 4,663 have benefited to date? That is a discrepancy of 30,500. I would hate to be making mistakes——

That is not a supplementary.

It is a supplementary, a Cheann Comhairle.

This question deals with the child benefit scheme.

Have the Government any plans to alleviate the suffering among underprivileged families who probably from April next — again described in that infamous document — will lose the other 50 per cent of food subsidies? As we know, last year there was a loss of a 50 per cent subsidy on bread when the Government saved £20.4 million at the expense of the poor people and, as a consequence of the saving of the 50 per cent subsidy in milk and butter, they saved £44 million, again at the expense of the poor, decent, innocent families living on a meagre income.

I will have to ask the Deputy to resume his seat.