§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he was aware that a new claim, with fresh evidence, had been made for an old age pension by Mrs. Anne Sullivan, Ballard, Emlaghmore, near Caherciveen; and whether the Local Government Board would take these facts into consideration when adjudicating on the claim?
§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Mr. Birrell)If the fresh claim referred to comes before the Local Government Board on appeal, they will duly consider all the evidence submitted to them.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that Timothy Shea, High Street, Caherciveen, was granted an old age pension on 1st January, 1909, by the local committee; whether the judgment of the local pension officer as to a claimant's age is held to be sufficient to 1197 disqualify a claimant who has submitted all the evidence he can procure; and whether steps would now be taken to secure the pension to this claimant?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe ground on which the Local Government Board considered that Timothy Shea was disqualified for the receipt of an old age pension was intimated to the hon. Member in the reply given to his question on 14th March. It is open to Shea to make a fresh claim.
Mr. KELLYasked on what principle the Local Government Board decide against claimants to old age pensions in cases where there is no record from the Census of 1841 or of 1851, and where there is no reliable documentary proof, but where the sub-committee are fully satisfied from local knowledge, often personal, and from local testimony, that the applicant is fully qualified, and where, as is frequently the case in rural parts of Ireland, documentary evidence is quite unobtainable; and whether pension officers have any instructions to appeal all such cases indiscriminately?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board do not decide on principle against claimants for old age pensions in the circumstances mentioned, but decide each case on its own merits. The Board consider all evidence submitted to them. Pension officers are not under my control, but I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 1st May, on behalf of the Treasury, to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for North Sligo.
§ Mr. HAYDENasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that an old age pension was paid to Matthew Kearney of Doniel, Moyvore, county Westmeath, from January, 1909, to February, 1911, when it was taken from him on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit; whether he will say if there was any change in Kearney's means between the time when the pension was granted and when it was taken away from him; and whether he is aware that Kearney is in possession of no means whatever, having assigned his little holding to his son five months before the pension was taken, which shows that this action had no relation whatever to the receipt of the pension; and, in view of this fact, whether the Local Government Board will restore the pension to him?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe facts are as stated in the first paragraph of the question. 1198 When applying for a pension Kearney represented that he had no means of his own but was dependent on his son. When assigning his farm to his son Kearney reserved a life interest in it and the profits of the farm for life. Since the award of the pension he appears to have been granted by the Land Commission a second farm at Cloneybane, the two farms being worked as one. The transfer of the first farm in 1910 would appear to have been made with a view to securing the continuance of the pension. There is no reason why the pension should be restored to Kearney.
§ Mr. PATRICK O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that the Local Government Board for Ireland as appeal authority had deprived a pensioner named Anne Butler of her pension, on the ground that her treatment in Kilkenny union hospital constitutes poor relief, and does not come within the terms of the exception in the Pensions Act in favour of medical relief (including food and comforts supplied by or on the direction of a medical officer); whether he was aware that the Kilkenny borough committee decided that the pensioner was receiving medical treatment and not ordinary relief, and that one of the medical officers personally attended before the committee and informed them of the disease from which the pensioner was and is suffering, and that she was in the hospital under the orders of the medical officers, and purely in order to ensure her receiving such treatment and care as her condition of health required; whether he could state on what grounds the Local Government Board for Ireland decided in these circumstances that she was in receipt of non medical poor relief; and whether there was any judicial authority for their action in thus deciding?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board allowed a question raised by the pension officer to the effect that Anne Butler was disqualified for continuing to receive a pension by reason of being in receipt of Poor Law relief. The Kilkenny Borough Pension Committee held that the relief granted was not disqualifying relief. The Board, however, ascertained that Anne Butler had been in the workhouse infirmary suffering from "debility," and, having regard to the duration of her residence there, they held that any medical relief she was receiving was merely incidental to ordinary relief. There have been no judicial decisions on the point.