§ 61. Mr. GINNELLasked whether it is the duty of old age pension officers to bring all the facts ascertained by them under the notice of pension committees; whether the body to which appeal lies may consider other facts obtained from an officer or from any other source, which have never been before the committee; and, if so, under what authority this is done?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe Regulations made under Section 10 of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908, prescribe that the pension officer is required to annex to every report sent by him to the committee a statement of the inquiries made by him in reference to the claim and of the result of those inquiries, and unless he is satisfied that the yearly means of the claimant do not exceed £21, and so states in the report, a summary of the income, property, and other yearly means of the claimant. In the case of any appeal to the Local Government Board, the Board is required to cause such inquiry to be held or take such other steps as they think necessary for the purpose of enabling them to come to a proper decision on the case.
§ Mr. GINNELLAre new facts referred to the committee before a decision is given?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI should think that is invariably done. In any case, on appeal to the Board, any new facts could be raised.
§ 62. Mr. GINNELLasked under what instruction, oral or written, directly or indirectly, from the Treasury, old age pension officers in Ireland say that their business is, not to administer the Old Age Pensions Acts according to the merits of each case, but to disallow and reduce pensions as much as possible in the interest of the P 33 Treasury; and whether that is the spirit in which the Acts are administered in Great Britain; and, if not, will he account for the difference?
§ Mr. MASTERMANNo instructions have been issued which would justify a pension officer in making a statement of the nature described in the question, and no case in which a pension officer has made such a statement has been brought to my notice.
§ 63. Mr. GINNELLasked whether the general instruction to old age pension officers in 1908 to disregard furniture and personal effects actually belonging to and used by a claimant not exceeding £30 in value, and another instruction embodying a scale of the value of maintenance, or any substituted instructions on these two points, are now in force; will the Financial Secretary to the Treasury say, substantially, what the instructions now in force amount to as regards Great Britain and Ireland, respectively; and, seeing that pension officers in Ireland act as though unaware of such instructions, will he have copies of them sent to each pension officer in Ireland with an intimation that they are in force?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe original instruction in regard to furniture and personal effects is no longer in force, having been cancelled by Section 2 (1) (c) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1911, the effect of which is that in calculating means for Old Age Pension purposes no account is to be taken of furniture and personal effects where their total value does not exceed £50. With regard to the subject of maintenance, I have nothing to add to the answers to the hon. Member's previous questions on the same subject.
§ Mr. GINNELLMay I ask whether the circular on the subject of maintenance is in force in Ireland, and whether the old age pension officers have been informed, or will be?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI do not think any scale is in force in Ireland at the present time. Perhaps the hon. Member will put a question down.
§ Mr. GINNELLThis question has been down three times. Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the letter containing the instruction embodied a scale which is in force in this country and not in Ireland?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI do not think any scale is in force in Ireland. I think the merits of each particular case are considered. I will inquire.