§ Mr. SCANLANasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to various resolutions passed by the Skreen sub-committee, at the county Sligo old age pension committee, and forwarded to the Local Government Board, calling on the Board to send an inspector to Skreen to visit and report specially on twenty applicants for pensions in this district, whose claims are well founded as to age and means, according to the decisions of the committee, but whose claims have been disallowed by the Board, on the objection of the pension officer, merely because the applicants' names are not in the Census Returns of 1841 or 1851; if he will state why the Board have not sent down an inspector; and whether, if the claims are again considered by the committee and decided upon, the Board will send an inspector to report before giving their decision?
§ Mr. BIRRELLA resolution such as that indicated in the question has been received by the Local Government Board, but they have no power to reopen consideration of cases which have already been decided by them, and they could not therefore send down an inspector to investigate the cases in question. The Board are not prepared to pledge themselves as to what action they will take on future appeals. In any case where they are of opinion that a local investigation by an inspector would elucidate doubtful points they direct an inspection. But there are many cases where the facts upon which they have to adjudicate are not in dispute, and in such cases no useful purpose would be served by sending one of their inspectors to see the claimant.
§ Mr. SCANLANasked on what evidence the Local Government Board disallowed the claim of James M'Gloin, No. 738, in the register of the Cooloney sub-pension committee, county Sligo, to an old age pension; whether he is aware that this man's pension was granted by a unanimous vote of the committee, who are satisfied that the claimant is fully qualified as to age and means; and whether, if the Board are 678W not satisfied as to any particular in the evidence, they will send an inspector to make inquiries?
§ Mr. BIRRELLJames M'Gloin's claim for a pension was disallowed in August, 1909, on the grounds of insufficient evidence of age. His further claim is at present under consideration by the Local Government Board.
§ Mr. DANIEL BOYLEasked on what grounds the old age pension claim of Owen Deane, Clydagh, of the Ballycastle (county Mayo) pension sub-district, has been disallowed?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis claim was disallowed by the Local Government Board, on appeal, on the ground that Owen Deane's means exceeded the statutory limit.
§ Mr. DANIEL BOYLEasked the Chief Secretary why the Local Government Board have disallowed the old age pension claims of Patrick Flynn, Belderrig, and Peter Munnelly, Ballymacue, both of the Ballycastle sub-pension district, county Mayo, neither of whose ages can be traced in the parish or Census records; if disallowed on the ground of age, have the applicants been visited by the Board's inspector before the decision; if not, what is the report of the local pension officer on the question; and is he aware that, in the opinion of the oldest inhabitants of the district, both applicants have long passed their seventieth year?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe claims of Patrick Flynn and Peter Munnelly were disallowed by the Local Government Board, on appeal on the grounds that they were unable to furnish sufficient evidence of their having reached the statutory age. No inspector was sent to report on these cases, but the pension officer in his appeal stated that there was no proof of age in either case; that a record of the claimants' families had been found in the Census Return of 1841, but the claimants' names did not appear, and that their families could not be traced in the Census of 1851. Expressions of belief as to a claimant's age from old persons living in the district are not, when unsupported by other evidence, sufficient to enable the Board to determine that a claimant is over seventy years of age.