§ MR. J. MACVEAGHI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can say under what regulation or section of the Old-Age Pensions Act the Board of Inland Revenue has issued instructions to the pension officers to the effect that the wives of persons in receipt of poor relief are disqualified from receiving an old-age pension, inasmuch as these persons do not receive the poor relief, but are merely dependent on their husbands who receive the relief, and in the local union books their names are entered as dependants and not as recipients; and whether he is aware that although the Poor Relief Act, 1 & 2 Vict. c. 56 expressly states that relief to a wife is considered the same as relief to the husband, there is no provision stating that relief to a husband is to be considered as relief to a wife.
§ MR. HOBHOUSEThe disqualification arises under Section 3 (1) (a) of the Act, His Majesty's Government being advised that for the purposes of that subsection anyone who benefits from that relief, whether the nominal recipient or not, receives such relief.
§ MR. JOYCEIs the hon. Gentleman aware of the fact, that when a man applies for relief of this nature his wife's name as well as his own is entered on the list, although she may not be dependent on the man? Is he also aware that the outdoor relief is very small, averaging about 2s. a week? Is it right in such a case that the wife should be debarred having an old-age pension?
§ MR. HOBHOUSEThe Answer I have given is of general application.
§ MR. J. MACVEAGHSeeing that the wife in many cases does not get the 244 relief, on what ground is the pension officer instructed to withhold her claim to an old-age pension?
§ MR. HOBHOUSEI have already answered that Question.
§ MR. J. MACVEAGHYou only quoted the opinion of the Law Officers.