§ MR. SLOANTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Mr. J. C. Neeson, late clerk of Belfast Union, has claimed a pension on a salary of £1,764 9s. 10d., this being the average of the past three years gross receipts as officer for clerk of the union, clerk to the No. 1 Belfast Rural Council, clerk to the Castlereagh Rural Council, compiler of the jurors' lists, compiler of the harbour lists, compensation for the loss of office in 1898 as returning officer for the board of guardians, compiler of the Belfast Parliaments lists, compiler of the Belfast municipal (women's) list, and compensation for the loss of office as compiler of income-tax lists; and, if so, will he instruct the Local Government Board to secure that the Belfast poor rate will be charged only with such sums as pension in such offices as clerk of the union and net emoluments as deputy registrar which properly belong to the Poor Rate Relief Acts.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.). I replied to a Question on this matter on the 20th June.† The Local Government Board is not empowered to determine the amount of pension payable to Mr. Neeson. The guardians, I understand, have decided to take the opinion of counsel on the general question of Mr. Neeson's right to pension on the gross amount of his salary and emoluments in respect of his office as clerk of the union.