§ Mr. SHEEHANalso asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Thomas Browne, Massytown, Macroom, was granted a pension of 5s. per week by the Macroom (No. 1) pension committee on 17th March last, and that the question was subsequently raised by the pension officer that his income exceeded the statutory 816W amount, the grounds for this contention on his part being that the applicant held certain lands at Massytown in his own possession; is he aware that the statement of the officer was, on investigation by the pension committee, proved to be wrong, and it was shown that the lands in question had been duly assigned by the applicant to his son, who is now the absolute legal owner of them, paying only an annuity of £5 a year to his father; and that the pension officer appealed to the Local Government Board with the result that Browne's pension was disallowed; and will he state the grounds for this decision, seeing that the applicant is without means save those above mentioned, and for the demand which has been made by the solicitor of the Inland Revenue, Dublin, for the repayment of £5 15s., amount of old age pension paid to Thomas Browne?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI understand that this man had a farm of 12 acres rented at over £30 a year, with nine cows, six pigs, fowl, and crops, all which he assigned to his son in January last for £5 a year. The pension officer held that the claimant had assigned his farm for the purpose of qualifying for a pension, and the Local Government Board, after investigation, upheld the appeal.