§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give instructions to the pension officers in Ireland not to raise any objections to pensioners who may be admitted to Irish workhouses, and who while there are paying the full cost of their maintenance, seeing that in such cases the pensioners will be repaying the full relief charges?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEPension officers in Ireland have been instructed not to raise a "question" in respect of old age pensioners who, on admission to the fever hospital or infirmary of a workhouse in Ireland for medical treatment, claim to pay, and do actually pay the full average cost of maintenance therein. These instructions are based upon Section 6 of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1862, which expressly provides that such persons are not subject to any disfranchisement or disability. My right hon. Friend is not prepared to extend these instructions so as to apply to all old age pensioners admitted to Irish workhouses. Apart from the Section quoted above, relief of such a nature as to disqualify for receipt of a pension, when not paid for, does not cease to disqualify when it is paid for.
§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked if he will state whether the Local Government Board have made any supplementary inquiries in reference to the claim of Edward Cassidy, of Barran, county Cavan, to an 153W old age pension; and did the Board take into account that the local committee, acting with full knowledge of all the facts of the case and knowing that this man's Poor Law valuation is only £4 10s. awarded the full pension of 5s. a week?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board made inquiries into this case through the pension officer and one of their own inspectors, besides obtaining from Edward Cassidy a statement regarding his means. The Board were cognisant of the fact that a pension had been awarded to Cassidy at the rate of 5s. a week; but after full consideration of his resources they were unable to agree with the sub-committee's decision.