§ Mr. FRANCEasked the total number of old age pensions paid under each separate division of the existing scale of reduction?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe number of old age pensions payable at each of the five rates on the last Friday of 1910, was as follows:—
| 5s. | rate | … | … | … | 674,278 |
| 4s. | rate | … | … | … | 22,253 |
| 3s. | rate | … | … | … | 21,839 |
| 2s. | rate | … | … | … | 10,247 |
| 1s. | rate | … | … | … | 5,308 |
§ These figures do not include 163,165 pensions granted as from 6th January, 1911, to persons previously disqualified by receipt of Poor Relief. All, or practically all, these pensions were at the 5s. rate. No later figures are yet available.
§ Mr. EYRES-MONSELLasked whether the President of the Local Government Board's attention has been called to the fact that, in consequence of the refusal of the pension officer to supply information required by the Worcestershire pension committee, which refusal was confirmed by the superintendent, but was subsequently ordered to be given by the Board of Customs and Excise, certain old age pensioners in the parish of Tudington, who left the workhouse early in January, were kept without their pensions until February, and had to subsist on such charitable support as they were able to obtain; and whether the Worcestershire pension committee have applied to the Local Government Board to allow the pensions to be dated back to the time the ponsioners left the workhouse, and that the Board have refused to do so; and, if so, what course is proposed to be taken to prevent the recurrence of such an occurrence?
§ Mr. BURNSMy attention has been called to the cases referred to. Section 5 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908, provides that a pension shall commence to accrue on the first Friday after the claim for the pension has been allowed, and any decision of the Local Government Board purporting to vary this enactment would be invalid.
§ Mr. SNOWDENIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there have been many instances where the Treasury has given back pension pay where the delay was due to the pension officer or the committee, and, seeing that in these cases the pension officer in refusing to give the information, was acting in accordance with the general instructions of the Board of Customs and Excise, the impertinent interference of the chairman of the local pension committee being responsible for the delay, he will reconsider the matter.
§ Mr. BURNSI am not so sure that my hon. Friend is correct when he says that there are many cases of this kind. I am prepared to consider the information which the hon. Member has given and to look into the matter.