§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of an old man named Robert Monaghan, of Bangor, county Down, who applied during the past year for an old age pension; whether the claim was disallowed, not on the ground of age, but because a little over a year ago when he went for treatment to the Belfast Union he was placed for a short time in one of the ordinary wards, owing to the pressure of space; whether Dr. M'Leish, the medical attendant at the Belfast Union hospital, gave a certificate, stating that Monaghan had never been anything else but a patient, and never an ordinary inmate; whether on the strength of this certificate Monaghan made a fresh application for a pension last week; whether the local pension committee passed his case; whether the local pension officer gave notice of appeal to the Local Government Board, although he had previously given a sort of assurance that he would accept the evidence produced through Dr. M'Leish; whether Monaghan is an exceedingly worthy old man, and is suffering from an incurable disease; and whether, under the circumstances, he will direct the Local Government Board to admit Monaghan's claim forthwith?
163W
§ Mr. BIRRELL:The Local Government Board are not aware that Monaghan was placed in the ordinary wards owing to lack of space in the infirmary. He was relieved on two occasions. On the first after being a week in hospital he was transferred to the ordinary wards. On the second he was in the ordinary wards all the time. Monaghan made a fresh claim in January last, and the visiting medical officer has since given a certificate to the effect stated in the question. The pension officer has appealed to the Board against the decision of the pension committee on the fresh claim, but the Board are not aware of his having given any sort of assurance to Monaghan, and they have no knowledge regarding the latter's character or disease. The new claim will receive due consideration from the Board.