§ Mr. HORNERasked the Secretary to the Treasury if, in relation to the sums of £12,415,000 and £435,014 required this year for old age pensions, he can give an approximate estimate of the amounts, respectively, required for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEOnly a rough estimate can be given. Subject to this qualification, the total provision may be allocated as follows. (Figures for Wales cannot be separately given):—
Old Age Pension Vote, England and Wales £8,387,700 Old Age Pension Vote, Scotland 1,260,000 Old Age Pension Vote, Ireland 2,767,300 Total £12,415,000
Other Votes—England and Wales. £289,332 Other Votes—Scotland 43,673 Other Votes—Ireland 102,009 Total £435,014 2374W
Totals—all Votes— England and Wales £8,677,032 Scotland 1,303,673 Ireland 2,869,309 Total £12,850,014
§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state whether Margaret Higgins, of Mill Rock, Cavan, P.O.R. No. 24, is receiving a pension, and, if not, will he state why she has been refused; and, if she is now qualified, will instructions be issued to have her paid at once, not only the pension, but arrears due to date of first payment?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am inquiring into this case, and will inform the hon. Member of the result.
§ Mr. O'SHAUGHNESSYasked why the Local Government Board, on the appeal of the pension officer, deprived David Sheelan, of Tournafulla, Newcastle West, county Limerick, of an old age pension, having regard to the fact that three old men, whose ages range from seventy-five to ninety years, and who knew him from childhood, stated to the local pension committee that he was seventy-two years of age?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe documents relating to this case are not now in the possession of the Local Government Board, but they have no record of having received the testimony of more than one old person as to David Sheehan's age. Sheehan's parents were traced in the Census Return of 1841, but they were not recorded as having any children at that date, the presumption therefore being that Sheehan was then unborn. Under the circumstances the Board upheld the pension officer's appeal on the ground that there was no satisfactory evidence of Sheehan having reached the statutory age.