§ Mr. Osborneasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that Mr. W. B. Farrow, of Cawthorpe, near Louth, an 80-years-old pensioner, has been visited six times by a pension official since March and is now without his pension book and unable to draw his pension; and if he will have the case investigated immediately.
§ Sir S. CrippsMr. Farrow has been receiving a pension of 26s. per week from 4th October, 1946. His pension order book expired on 28th May last. A new one was issued on 1st June, but no delay in payment resulted as the pensioner received his new book at least two days before the first payment was due, i.e., 4th June. Non-contributory pensions, which are subject to a test of means, are reviewed at 12-monthly intervals, and an officer of the assistance board visited Mr. Farrow in March, 1948, to carry out the normal review. As a result of his visit it became clear that the pensioner's circumstances were substantially changed120W and the officer's subsequent visits were made in order to obtain the precise facts and figures before submitting a recommendation for revision of pension to the local pension committee.