I understand the Minister to say that social welfare payments here were 70 per cent of the EC levels. Most of the parties are selling to the people the question of a "yes" vote in the Single European Act referendum campaign and telling people that everything effectively will be equalised in European terms, but I have not heard if the Government have plans to equalise social welfare payments in accordance with the ratification of the Single European Act. Will the Minister state if that is so?

That is a separate question and if the Deputy puts one down we can have it considered. We had a question earlier on the equality which arose from the EC. It is significant that our joining the EC in 1973 made resources available here which were paid for previously by the taxpayer here to support agriculture. It was the freeing up of those which made it possible to increase social welfare benefits during that period.

From farmers' taxation?

Did the Deputy say "along with taxation"?

Where did it come from?

It was a redistribution of, for instance, the milk support moneys in 1973 which were than available to the Government to put elsewhere. That is what happened in practice. Fair enough, taxpayers' money had to go to support agriculture but subsequently it did not have to go for that purpose and went in this direction instead. During the years 1980 to 1982 — I was Minister at the time — there were still substantial increases in social welfare, 25 per cent each year. I accept that since that time the general situation has become much more difficult. I accept also what Deputy Mitchell and others have said, that there is a need now for more information and greater selectivity in future decisions.