§ MR. MURNAGHAN (Tyrone, Mid.)I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the receipt of outdoor relief after 1st January is a complete bar to an old-age pension, or is it the intention of the Government to fix an annual disqualification, as is done in the Registration of Voters Act.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEUnder Clause 3 (1) of the Bill, as proposed to be amended on Report, the receipt of outdoor relief, at any time between 1st January, 1908, and 31st December, 1910, will, subject to the exceptions provided for in the clause, be an absolute disqualification, unless, of course, there should in the meantime be further legislation.
§ MR. MURNAGHANIs it not too severe a penalty to debar from pension for all future time persons who have been so unfortunate as to have to accept relief during the existing year?
§ MR. SPEAKERThat is a matter of argument.
§ SIR JOHN RANDLES (Cumberland, Cockermouth)I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer how far his original estimate of the cost of the Old- 1240 Age Pensions Bill is modified by the new sliding scale.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEI gave it as my opinion during the debates in Committee that the total cost of the scheme with the sliding scale would amount to about £100,000 more than that of the original proposals.