§ 21. Lieut.-Colonel HOWARD-BURYasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs how many recommendations for award under the Irish Grants Committee have had deductions made from their awards because of the financial position of the claimant; and how many have had full awards recommended of the amounts claimed?
§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Churchill)I have been asked to reply. In reply to the first part of the question, the financial position of the claimant is only one of many considerations which the Irish Grants Committee have to take into 828 account in reaching a conclusion upon the cases before them; and I do not think that I could properly ask the Committee to go through the whole of the cases with which they have already dealt for the purpose of disentangling this element, even if such a task were possible of achievement, which I doubt. Similarly, I venture to doubt whether the information asked for in the second part of the question would have a value commensurate with the labour involved in obtaining it. As stated in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) on 30th May last, in a considerable proportion of the claims no particular sum is specified.
§ Lieut.-Colonel HOWARD-BURYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether a new principle at law is being established, that, although a claimant may be perfectly justified in his claim, owing to his financial position his claim is cut down?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNo such principle of law would commend itself to anybody, and certainly it is not possible to establish any new principle of law in answer to a question in the House of Commons.
§ 22. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Secretary of State for Dominion affairs if the pension of a civil servant which is paid by the Irish Free State under Article 10 of the Irish Treaty or of a local government official under Section 8 of the Local Government Act, 1919, will be liable to review if the recipient is granted further compensation by the Irish Grants Committee?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend has no authority to pronounce on the interpretation of the Statutes under which the pensions in question are awarded; but he has no reason for supposing that such pensions would be liable to review in the contingency stated.
§ 24. Lieut.-Colonel HOWARD-BURYasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he is aware that the Irish Grants Committee are in many cases refusing to allow applicants to have legal assistance in presenting their claims and in other cases are refusing to allow the claimants to be heard in person; that in such cases the claims are considered by the Committee on 829 statements put before them by the official of the Government whose duty it is to oppose the claims, and who is also Secretary of the Grants Committee; and the reasons for refusing legal assistance to applicants?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have been asked to reply. The Committee have exercised their discretion in regard to the appearance of claimants before them whether personally or by counsel or solicitor. Their reason for this has been, I understand, primarily to save claimants from incurring unnecessary expenditure, particularly upon legal assistance where no points of doubt or difficulty arise; but they have never hesitated to permit and even to invite such appearance in all cases in which they consider a personal interview or legal assistance desirable. As regards the second part of the question the duty of the Secretary of the Committee is to lay before the Committee the claimants' statement together with such relevant information as may be obtainable from official documents or otherwise, whether tending to oppose or to support the claims.
§ 46. Mr. SOMERVILLEasked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that no compensation can be granted by the Irish Grants Committee for injuries committed after 12th May, 1923; and whether, as no such limitation as to date occurs in Lord Dunedin's Report, he will consider the removal of this date from the Committee's terms of reference?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Sir A. Holbrook) on the 23rd May. The Government are not prepared to consider any alteration in the terms of reference to the Irish Grants Committee, but my right hon. Friend would be glad to receive details of any claim in respect of injuries committed after the 12th May, 1923, which would otherwise have fallen within the terms of reference.