§ Mr. O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether John Cronin, of Talaght, Ardfert, county Kerry, has been refused an old age pension because he can produce no documentary evidence of age; is the present practice of the Board to refuse pensions in all cases where such evidence is not forthcoming even if the applicant is visibly far over seventy; and whether he is aware that such a practice would mean the permanent disqualifica- 1036W tion of thousands of very poor people in Ireland who would be otherwise entitled?
§ Mr. BIRRELLIf the person referred to is John Cronin, who formerly resided at the Spa, Tralee, the Local Government Board upheld an appeal by the pension officer against the decision of the Ardfert pension sub-committee awarding Cronin a pension on the ground that there was no sufficient evidence of any kind to warrant the conclusion that he had reached the statutory age. It is not the practice of the Board to disallow all claims for pensions where documentary evidence is not forthcoming, and in this instance the Board made inquiries locally through one of their inspectors before giving their decision.
Mr. CATHCART WASONasked the Lord Advocate if, where a pension officer having appealed against the decision of a pension committee and the appeal being upheld by the Local Government Board for Scotland on the technical ground that the person has divested himself of his property in order to qualify, the Local Government Board for Scotland will, on the application of the pension committee, cause an independent inquiry to be made into the circumstances of the case to ascertain what income might be secured from the capital sum realised?
§ Mr. UREThe Local Government Board for Scotland never decides such an appeal without careful consideration of the facts of the particular case; such cases as are figured in the question are not decided on purely technical grounds. In all cases the vital inquiry is whether or not the applicant has divested himself of the property solely in order to qualify for an old age pension. The suggestion of instituting an independent inquiry in each individual case is not one which I could support. It would be quite impracticable.