§ Mr. HAYDENasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the grounds upon which the Local Government Board disallowed the pension granted by the Castlerea pension committee to Patrick Reddy, Claboy, Ballintubber, county Roscommon; if he is aware that the pension committee was satisfied, in the absence of evidence from the Census returns and baptismal certificates, that this man was over seventy years of age, and, acting upon the certifi- 1018 cate that his youngest brother, if alive, would be seventy years of age next November, granted him the pension; and whether, in view of this fact, the Local Government Board will reverse their decision?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board upheld the appeal of the Pension Officer on the ground that Patrick Reddy had not reached the statutory age. No satisfactory evidence as to age was produced by Reddy, and his parents' family was traced on the Census returns of 1841 and 1851. In the former year Patrick's name did not appear as a member of the family, while his age was recorded in the Return of 1851 as seven years. He would therefore appear to be about sixty-seven years old at the present time. The brother Martin referred to would, if alive, be older than Patrick, not younger, as alleged. In the circumstances there is no reason why the Board should reverse their decision, even if such a course were open to them.