§ MR. A. ROCHE (Cork)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in cases where poor relief in cash has been granted since the 1st January last only during the actual illness of a claimant, and on the recommendation of a medical officer, and where the medical officer gives a certificate in writing such grant was given on 752 account of such illness, the Local Government Board will treat such relief as a disqualification for the receipt of an old-age pension; and if a claimant has been an inmate of a district hospital since the 1st January last, and only remained there under doctors' orders, will such relief be treated as a disqualification.
§ MR. JOHN BURNSAs regards the first point, I may say generally that it would seem to me that in such a case as that put, the claimant would be disqualified. As regards the second, I think that it would be necessary to know more of the actual facts of the case before an opinion could be expressed. I should add, however, that if the cases which have given rise to the Question occur in Ireland, the matter is not one for me but for the Irish Local Government Board.