§ Mr. LUNDONasked the right hon. Gentleman if he will state the number of applicants in Ireland who have been deprived of old age pensions because of being in receipt of outdoor relief?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe total number of applicants in Ireland who have been disqualified on account of the receipt of Poor Law relief up to the 30th June is 8,563. I have no means of distinguishing between outdoor and indoor relief in these cases.
Mr. STANLEY WILSONCan the right hon. Gentleman state when it is the intention of the Government to introduce their Bill amending the Old Age Pensions Act?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat does not arise out of this question.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been directed to the case of Mrs. Logan, aged 79 years, residing at Kirkmichael, Ayrshire, who has been refused a pension on the plea that she has been in receipt of Poor Law relief; whether the alleged relief consisted of 25s. advanced by the Kirkmichael Parish Council pending the investigation of her claim by the New Cumnock Parish Council, which offered her the workhouse, which she refused, and has since been maintaining herself; whether, as Mrs. Logan was never admitted to the poor roll of New Cumnock, she is subject to the pauper disqualification; and whether, under all the circumstances, he will cause the case to be inquired into afresh?
§ Mr. UREThe facts are generally as stated by my hon. Friend. The case has been carefully considered by the Local Government Board for Scotland, but in view of the continuance of the relief by Kirkmichael Parish Council the Board felt that they had no alternative but to disallow the claim on appeal.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEWhat is meant by "continuance of relief?" As I understand it, after all, these few small payments were made pending the investigation into the claim. The old lady's name was never entered into the Poor Law book at all.
§ Mr. UREI understand sundry payments were made, and unfortunately one payment is sufficient to disqualify.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEIf it can be shown that no subsequent payments were made will the right hon. Gentleman cause an inquiry to be made?
§ Mr. UREI am afraid that as the statute stands one payment given by the parochial council disqualifies.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEI will supply the right hon. Gentleman with the information.
§ Mr. JOHN REDMONDasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the fact that a conditional order has been granted by the courts in Ireland for a certiorari to quash a decision of an old age pension committee in the county of Wexford, withdrawing a pension already granted to a Mrs. Sinnott on the ground that she was not of the statutory age; whether in this case the claim for a pension was acceded to in the first instance without an objection, no appeal was brought in respect of it, and the pension was paid weekly to 1st June, when payment was stopped; and whether, in view of the fact that the decision in this case may affect thousands of similar cases, all action in withdrawing pensions will be suspended until this case has been argued and decided by the courts?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe facts are as stated, except that the pension was stopped on 3rd June. The conditional order referred to was granted on the grounds, firstly, that the local pension committee, having once awarded the pension, had no jurisdiction to disallow it on the ground of age; and, secondly, that, if they had this jurisdiction, they acted in excess of it by deciding the question raised by the officer without giving Mrs. Sinnott 1016 an opportunity of being heard, without giving her notice of their decision, and without informing her of the grounds thereof. The order only becomes absolute if no cause is shown to the contrary within 10 days after it is served on the clerks to the local pension committee and sub-committees, the pension officer for the district, and the solicitor of Inland Revenue at Dublin. So far as my right hon. Friend is aware, the order has not as yet been served on the solicitor of Inland Revenue or on the pension officer. My right hon. Friend regrets that he cannot see his way to adopt the suggestion made by the hon. Member.