36. Major NEWMANasked the Pensions Minister whether he will inquire into the election on 28th August of a secretary to the Cashel County Tipperary War Pensions Committee; whether there were 107 applicants for the position, including a staff sergeant with six months' experience on the Tottenham War Pensions Committee, and several other soldiers, with special qualifications, invalided out of the service; whether he is aware that, in proposing the name of one of these ex-soldiers, the appeal of the Pensions Minister to appoint discharged soldiers to such positions was mentioned; whether, in the result, a Miss O'Ryan, without other qualification except of being related to some of the members of the committee, was elected by a large majority; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ Mr. HODGEThe facts are substantially as stated in the first part of the question. I have called upon the local committee for South Tipperary for their statement of the case, but until I receive this I am not in a position to say whether the appointment in question was justified. In the War Pensions Bill now before the House I have asked for powers, which I do not at present possess, to enable me to exercise some control over the appointment of officers by local war pensions committees.