§ MR. BILL (Staffordshire, Leek)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, with a view to a better provision for old age in the case of persons in receipt of allowances from Friendly Societies, he will cancel the Minute of the Poor Law Commissioners, dated 27th March, 1840, 326 confirmed in a letter dated 5th January, 1870, which directs Boards of Guardians to take such allowances into account in deciding the amount of parish relief to be given in such cases?
§ MR. H. H. FOWLERNeither the Poor Law Commissioners nor the Local Government Board have made any Order which imposes on the Guardians any obligation to take into account allowances from Friendly Societies in deciding as to the amount of Poor Law relief which should be given in the case of persons who are receiving aid from such Societies. The principle, however, was laid down in the Minutes of 1840, and the letter of 1870, that, as destitution is the only ground of claim to relief at the cost of the rates, the income of the person applying for relief, from whatever source it is obtained, should in strictness be taken into account in determining the amount of relief that should be given by the Guardians. This is a matter for the consideration of the Royal Commission now sitting, and pending their Report I do not think it would be proper for me to issue any Order on the subject.