§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the local sub-committee allowed the claim to an old age pension of Daniel O'Shea, Coonana, Cahirciveen; and whether, in view of the evidence which has been submitted in support of the claim, the Local Government Board will reconsider its decision which resulted in withdrawing the payment of the pension?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI understand that in this case the pension was discontinued as I the result of a question raised by the pension officer on the ground that the claimant's age was recorded in the Census Return of 1841 as being only six months. The claimant stated that he was married forty-nine years ago, but the only evidence produced in support of this statement was I the certificate of his eldest child's baptism in March, 1865. It is not open to the Board to reconsider their decisions.
§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Catherine Adams, whose maiden name was Catherine Fox, of the Celbridge union, county Kildare, was in the receipt of an old age pension from 1st January, 1909, and that a question as to her age was raised by the pension officer, when Adams produced a copy of the Census of 1851 showing the pensioner to have been eighteen years of age on that date; whether he is aware that, although the committee upon that evidence continued the pension, the same has been since disallowed on appeal on the ground that the pensioner had not yet reached the age of 854W seventy years; will he state whether the Census of 1851 is regarded as any evidence of age; and, if it is, why was the pension of Adams discontinued?
§ Mr. BIRRELLBy a clerical error the-wrong decision was notified in this case. The Local Government Board were quite satisfied that the pensioner had attained the statutory age, and the mistake was-rectified immediately the Board's attention was called to it by the clerk of the-pension sub-committee.