65. Lieut.-Colonel Sir MERVYN MAN-NINGHAM-BULLERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what steps are taken in regard to the grant of old age pensions under any of the existing Acts to ascertain whether the condition is fulfilled that the beneficiary must have been for at least 10 years, up to the date of receipt of a pension, a British subject; whether any old age pensions have been refused on the ground that the applicant or the beneficiary could not fulfil this condition; and what steps, if any, the Department is accustomed to take in such cases?
§ Major ELLIOTThe condition to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers does not apply in the case of contributory old age pensions granted under the Contributory Pensions Acts, 1925 to 1931, but it does apply in the case of non-contributory pensions granted under the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1924. The matter is one on which the Pension Officer reports in forwarding a claim to the Pension Committee. Although no statistics on the point are available, I understand that there are cases where claims have been rejected through failure of the claimant to comply with this condition.
§ Sir M. MANNINGHAM-BULLERIf I bring to the notice of the Financial Secretary one case in which an old age pension was paid to a person who was not a British subject, will he look into it and see if that practice has been at all prevalent?
§ Major ELLIOTCertainly, I shall be very happy to look into any case which my hon. and gallant Friend cares to submit to me.