§ 14. Mr. P. MEEHANasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that Michael Cranny, of Ballylinan, Queen's County, has been refused an old age pension by the pension officer at Athy, on the ground that he has no claim; whether he is aware that, although Cranny cannot produce a baptismal certificate of age, no record appearing in the parish register, he has submitted a declaration made by Mr. Murphy, of Drimroe, a respectable farmer, stating he has known Cranny since he was a young child and that he is over seventy years of age; whether he is aware that this statement has been supplemented by a Member of this House, who declares in writing that Cranny came into his employment as an agricultural labourer in 1870 and was then over twenty-two years of age; whether he is aware that Cranny now lives with his son, who occupies 9 acres of land, Michael Cranny having no land in his possession; and whether Cranny's claim to an old age pension will be considered?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe claim of Michael Cranny, of Ballylinan, Queen's County, for an old age pension was disallowed by the Local Government Board primarily on the ground that the claimant deprived himself of means exceeding £31 10s. per annum in order to obtain pension. His first claim was disallowed by the local committee in October, 1916, and after that the farm was assigned to an unmarried son in December, 1916, and a fresh claim was made soon after which was disallowed by the Board on appeal in October, 1917. A further claim was disallowed by the local committee on the 6th June last and by the Board on appeal on the 30th ultimo.
§ 19. Mr. CRUMLEYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland why the Local Government Board, on appeal, refused to sanction an old age pension granted by the local pensions sub-committee to Bridget Clancy, of Teevebunnan, Tullyrossmearn, county Fermanagh; is he aware that, although the name of the claimant cannot be found in the Census Returns of 1851, the pensions officer in his Report to the Local Government Board expressed his belief that she is over seventy years old 1519 and that some of her neighbours who are old age pensioners are prepared to swear that she is over seventy; and will he ask the Local Government Board to reconsider the case although, through no fault of hers, no official record of her age or marriage can be found?
§ Mr. SHORTTIt is the case that the pension officer expressed the opinion that the claimant is over seventy years of age, but, on the other hand, the family of claimant's parents was found in the Census Returns and her name did not appear therein. It is, therefore, doubtful whether she was born till after March, 1851. The case was decided on the 9th ultimo, and it is not open to the Local Government Board to reconsider it except on receipt of appeal on a new claim.
§ Mr. CRUMLEYWill the right hon. Gentleman ask the Local Government Board to send down an inspector to deal with this matter? It has been done in some cases before.
§ Mr. SHORTTI am sorry I cannot hear.
§ Mr. CRUMLEYIt has been done in some cases before.
§ Mr. SHORTTThat is my information.
§ 20. Mr. CRUMLEYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland why the Local Government Board, on appeal, refused to sanction an old age pension granted on two occasions by the local pension subcommittee to Michael M'Cusker, Gattymoyle, near Fintona, county Tyrone; and whether a claimant is to be deprived of an old age pension because there was no State registration of births in Ireland until 1864 and no record of his family can be found in the Census records of 1841 or 1851, although his general appearance affords strong evidence that he is over seventy years old?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe onus of proving that he is seventy years of age rests upon the claimant, and until he can show that he is that age no pension is allowable. In this case, moreover, the Local Government Board ascertained from the Registrar-General's records that M'Cusker was married on the 26th November, 1883, when he was twenty-eight years of age. This makes him at present only sixty-two years old.