§ 14. Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary the reasons why the Local Government Board decline to sanction a pension of 5s. weekly, granted by the Gort sub-pension committee at a meeting on the 5th December last, to Catherine Cussen, of Gort, notwithstanding the fact that the committee had before them the pension officer's report, from which it appears that claimant does not appear in the Census Return of 1841, and that a sister of hers named Bridget was three years of age in 1841, and that the claimant admits that she was the second next of the family who succeeded Bridget, and the committee were unanimous in the opinion that she was over seventy years; and why the Local Government Board did not comply with the committee's request to send down an inspector to investigate the case before deciding on the pension officer's report?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe facts mentioned in the first part of the question were before the Local Government Board in deciding this claim, but were not held to be sufficient to show that the claimant had reached the statutory age. On consideration of the evidence available, the Board were of opinion that no useful purpose would be served by sending an inspector to see the claimant.