HC Deb 27 February 1911 vol 22 cc153-4W
Mr. BYLES

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he arrives at his estimate of a million and a half of saving to local authorities by the removal of the pauper disqualification for old age pensioners; and will he specify the saving for each constituent part of the United Kingdom, i.e., for England and Wales, for Scotland, and for Ireland?

Mr. HOBHOUSE

The number of persons who received pensions on 6th January, 1911, having been in receipt of Poor Law relief immediately prior to that date, was as follows:—

Indoor Paupers. Outdoor Paupers.
England and Wales 5,029 116,308
Scotland 476 9,142
Ireland 2,024 15,898
Totals 7,529 141,348
Total (indoor and Outdoor) 148,877

From special returns taken in England and Wales during 1910, the average cost to the rates per head of outdoor paupers of seventy years old and over was found to be 3s. 7d. per week. A special return taken in Scotland of the cost to rates of the outdoor paupers now in receipt of pensions give the charge as rather over 3s. 2d. per head per week. In Ireland a figure of 2s. 6d. per head per week is taken as the estimated cost of the outdoor paupers.

For indoor paupers, the saving to the rates in respect of those now receiving pensions is estimated at 5s. a week in Great Britain and 4s. 6d. in Ireland. On the basis of these figures, the saving to the rates in respect of the above pensioners may be put as follows:—

England and Wales … £1,150,000
Scotland … 83,000
Ireland … 114,000
Total … £1,347,000

No account is taken in the above figures of paupers who began to receive old age pensions at a date later than 6th January, 1911, nor of persons now in receipt of pensions who were not in receipt of Poor Law relief during December, 1910, but were previously disqualified from receiving pensions through having been in receipt of Poor Law relief at some period after 1st January, 1908. If due allowance be made for the further saving so caused, a total of £1,500,000 may be given as the aggregate saving to rates under this head. No allowance is made in this total for "potential paupers."