§ 1. Mr. W. BAKERasked the Minister of Pensions whether it was; with his approval that a letter was sent to Mr. O. Pearce, Easton, reference No. 3.294/Fu/M, Who is in receipt of a pension as a single man, and has been married since discharge, informing him that he must forward a certificate from his wife's employer, showing the exact amount of her earnings for the 12 months ended 6th October, 1925, including overtime pay and war bonus, if any, board, lodgings, fuel, or other benefit, and threatening that in the event of this certificate not being forwarded the question of discontinuing the increase of pension will be considered?
§ The MINISTER of PENSIONS (Major Tryon)The case referred to was not one of disability pension under the Great War Warrants (to which any question as to the wife's income would, of course, be irrelevant), but as to the increase of a pre-War pension under the Regulations made in pursuance of the Pensions Increase Acts, 1920 and 1924. Any grant made under those Acts is determined by the total means of the pensioner. For this purpose a declaration is required in the case of a married couple as to the income, and the sources thereof, of both husband and wife, and it was for the purpose of verifying the amount attributed by the claimant to his wife as her income that inquiry had to be made as to the source of the income and as to the name of the employer if derived from earnings. It will be appreciated that 2476 the increase cannot be granted unless satisfactory proof is forthcoming that the regulations of the Act are fulfilled.