§ Mr. CULLINAN (for Mr. Scanlan)asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will instruct the officials of the Board of Customs and Excise to desist from suits instituted in Ireland to recover from old persons sums paid to them under the Old Age Pensions Act in cases where the pension was once granted by pension committees without appeal by pension officers, and where the recipients of the payments have been in bonâ fide?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe only cases in which proceedings are instituted for recovery are those in which there is a debt due to the Crown under Section 9 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act, and the Treasury has not felt justified in such cases in departing from the general rule that debts due to the Crown must be enforced in all cases in which the debtor is in a position to pay. The rule is, however, applied with all possible indulgence to cases of real hardship.
§ Mr. LARDNERIs it not the fact that in cases where old age pensioners have been paid for some time the pension has been stopped and a new application lodged and pension granted, but the pensioners are not paid anything until the money received has been refunded to the Government?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEYes, I think that is so in cases where the pensioner has not been entitled to the pension, and, therefore, has obtained from the Government sums of money to which he was not entitled, and which is a debt due to the Crown which has to be recovered.
§ Mr. LARDNERMay I ask what authority there is for enforcing this counterclaim, legal or otherwise?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThat is to be found in the Old Age Pensions Act, and is not to be found in the general law, which relates to the recovery of debts due to the Crown.
§ Mr. LARDNERAre the pensioners on the second occasion given their pensions?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI should like notice of that question.