§ Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.
§ Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee—(Lord O'Hagan.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly:
§ [The EARL OF ONSLOW in the Chair.]
§ Clause 1:
§ Power of Poor Law authorities to grant personal allowances to certain inmates aged sixty-five or upwards of Poor Law institutions.
§ 1. The enactments relating to the relief of the poor shall have effect as if amongst the powers conferred on councils of counties and county boroughs there was included power to grant a personal allowance not exceeding two shillings per week to any inmate of any workhouse or other Poor Law institution under their control, being a person aged sixty-five years or upwards who is entitled to an old age pension or widows pension under the Old Age Pension Act, 1936, or under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Acts, 1936 and 1937, but who is disqualified from receiving such pension by reason of the fact that he is an inmate of a workhouse or other Poor Law institution, or who is disentitled thereto by reason of the fact that he does not satisfy the conditions as to means imposed by the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936.
§ LORD O'HAGAN moved to leave out "inmate of any" and insert "person in receipt of relief from them in a." The noble Lord said: Perhaps I may be allowed to explain the first two Amendments on the Paper together, because they 950 both deal with the same matter. The Bill as drafted does not empower a Poor Law authority which has not an institution of its own, but sends persons by agreement to another authority's institution, to grant personal allowances under the Bill. The Bill as it stands also does not cover the position which exists in certain areas in Scotland, where two or more authorities have combined to provide an institution. I beg to move.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 1, line 10, leave out ("inmate of any") and insert ("person in receipt of relief from them in a").—(Lord O'Hagan.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 1, line 11, leave out ("under their control").—(Lord O'Hagan.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ LORD O'HAGAN moved to leave out all words after "upwards." The noble Lord said: The Bill as originally drafted related entirely to persons in receipt of pensions. It has been pointed out, however, that there are people, inmates of public institutions, who have not hitherto been in receipt of pensions, but who are in the same position as those who have pensions. If the Bill passed without amendment the result, as your Lordships will observe, would be to create a privileged class who would be obtaining pocket money under the terms of this Bill whereas other persons in the same institution would be left without any allowance of any kind. I think your Lordships will agree that that might create unrest in the institution and embarrass the administration. The intention is to make the pocket money allowed under the Bill payable to all inmates of the age of 65 and over.
§
Amendment moved—
Page 1, leave out lines 13 to 21.—(Lord O'Hagan.)
§ On Question, Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.
§ Remaining clauses agreed to.