§ Mr. PERKINSasked the Secretary to the Treasury why the old age pension to which William Shears, of Basset, Eastleigh, No. 436, is entitled, as from the 6th April last, has not yet been paid to him?
Mr. McKINNON WOODI am making inquiry in this case and will inform the hon. Member of the result in due course.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will have further inquiry made into the claims for an old age pension made by Bridget Sullivan, Coomavoher, Mastergeehy, county Kerry; and can he state to what townland were her parents traced in the Census of 1841?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Local Government Board cannot re-open the case of Bridget Sullivan, as they have already determined her claim. They cannot state in what townland her parents were traced in the Census Return, as the documents have been returned to the pension officer.
§ Mr. GUINEYasked what is the reason an old age pension is not paid to Patrick Kelly, Colmanswell, county Limerick, seeing that his application was passed by the local sub-pension committee?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe pension officer appealed against the pension sub-committee's decision, and his appeal was upheld by the Local Government Board on the ground that there was no satisfactory evidence that Patrick Kelly had reached the statutory age.
§ Mr. HAYDENasked the reason for the decision of the Local Government Board in disallowing the pension of 5s. per week granted by the Athlone sub-committee of the county Roscommon to Catherine D'Arcy, of Ballyglass, Dysart; whether, if the Board was satisfied as to the evidence of her age, it is aware that this woman has no means whatever except what she derives from eight acres of very inferior land, the Poor Law valuation of which is £7 5s.; and whether he can state how the Local Government Board can make out that she is in receipt of an income which would disqualify her for the pension?
§ Mr. BIRRELLCatherine D'Arcy's claim was disallowed on the ground that 1957W she was under the statutory age, and her means were not estimated by the Local Government Board. She was recorded as nine years old in the Census Return of 1851, and no satisfactory evidence was produced to rebut this. The Board, however, are prepared to hold, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that she will attain the age of seventy on the 1st February, 1912.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEasked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been drawn to the case of George Rombach, of Aberaman, Aberdare, who has resided in Wales for sixty years, who served in the local Volunteer corps after taking the oath of allegiance to the late Queen Victoria, who has three sons now serving in the British Army, and who has been refused an old age pension because he has not taken out his papers of naturalisation; and whether, under the circumstances, he could direct that the pension be paid or make such provision as will enable the applicant to obtain his papers of naturalisation, for which in his present circumstances he is unable to pay?
§ Mr. BURNSMy attention has been drawn to this case. I am not empowered to dispense with any of the statutory conditions for receipt of an old age pension, and as regards the suggestion that the applicant might be enabled to become naturalised now, I may point out that the condition as to nationality is that a person must have been a British subject for at least twenty years before he can receive a pension.