asked the Minister for Social Welfare the measures, if any, she is taking to identify persons who are not claiming social welfare benefits to which they may be entitled; if she intends to undertake any research into the levels of non-take up; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

My Department make considerable efforts to increase public awareness of entitlements by providing information on its schemes and services.

There are now 31 public offices and information centres of the Department throughout the country which provide an information service to members of the public. General information booklets and booklets setting out the rates of payment of various schemes are widely distributed, in addition to a range of leaflets on particular schemes. A number of leaflets have been added recently, specifically designed to improve awareness of entitlements, for example, "Retiring" and "Pensioners and Savings". Information leaflets have also been made available in conjunction with the introduction of new schemes, such as the pilot schemes for the unemployed, including Jobsearch, the part-time job allowance scheme and the educational opportunities scheme.

The Department also advertise extensively when new schemes are to be introduced or when there are changes to existing schemes and when there is a need to make the public aware of administrative changes.

The methods of disseminating information are subject to continual review and are being improved and developed as resources allow. Officers of my Department also participate in seminars and educational and training courses around the country.

In relation to research my Department does not have the necessary resources to undertake formal measurement of the level of non-take up by persons of social welfare benefits to which they are entitled. This would require very complex and expensive household surveys. There is little evidence of lack of take-up of departmental schemes.

Despite the leaflets, booklets and promotion of new schemes I am sure the Minister is aware from the feedback from Deputies that every Deputy receives many requests for information from people who are not aware of their entitlements. The Minister must be aware that there are many people who, although in considerable poverty, are not aware of their entitlements.

The Deputy is making a speech in favour of his question.

Is the Minister aware that despite all the leaflets and so on there is a high level of non-take up of benefits by people who really need them? In regard to the survey would the Minister not agree that with the social welfare offices, labour exchanges and so on already at her disposal, she has sufficient means to carry out a reasonable survey? Has she attempted to do that in her Department?

There is no evidence to suggest that lack of take up is a problem. The Commission on Social Welfare did not identify lack of take up as posing a problem. Some broad indications of take up have been given. For example, 82 per cent of persons over 66 years of age are in receipt of a pension or long term social welfare payment. Most of the rest are public service pensioners and 63 per cent of widows are in receipt of widows' pension. There is almost 100 per cent of take up of child benefit and there is no reason to believe that the take up of unemployment payments is anything less than 100 per cent. The Deputy will be interested to know that the ESRI are undertaking a major survey of poverty at present. This is being jointly funded by the Department of Social Welfare, the EC poverty programme and the ESRI. The survey is intended to provide very important information about the income position of households and the extent to which they depend on social welfare. It will also provide us with valuable information about the take up of supplementary welfare and so on. If there is a problem, which there does not appear to be, it will shortly be identified.

Next question. I have allowed the Deputy to make his point.

It was only one supplementary.

It was not. It was a speech in support of your assertion.

On a point of order I object to that comment in regard to my supplementary question. It was a specific one in regard to information which the Minister has disclosed she knows nothing about.

I did not say that.

I had to point out that despite all the leaflets there was not a high level of take up. I was asking the Minister about that. I put every one of the queries in the form of a question.

I was told there would be teething trouble but there is just trouble.

I object to that. It is reasonable to have a second supplementary question if Deputy De Rossa wishes to ask one.

10.