§ Mr. HUGH LAWasked the Lord Advocate if he will state the number of old age pensions granted in the counties of Ross, Cromarty, Sutherland, the Orkneys and Shetlands; and what proportion the number bears to the total population of these districts and to the number of persons of 70 years and upwards?
§ Mr. UREOld age pension statistics are not compiled on the basis of counties, and the desired figures are therefore not available for the counties of Ross, Cromarty, or Sutherland.
The number of pensions granted up to the 31st December, 1908, is:—
In the Orkneys 1,349 In the Shetlands 1,895 According to the Census of 1901, the total population—
and the figures for the number of persons over 70 are—
Of the Orkneys is 28,699 And of the Shetlands is 28,166
Orkneys 2,027 Shetlands 2,163 The proportions borne by the recipients of pensions are therefore—
In the Orkneys about 1 in 21 of the total population and 2 in 3 of those over 70.
In the Shetlands about 1 in 15 of the total population and 7 in 8 of those over 70.