§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state how many appeals from the old age pension committees in Cavan are at present pending; can he state how many old age pensioners in Cavan have been struck off and deprived of pensions for the last two years on the ground of insufficient age, as disclosed in the Census returns; and will he state if and how often fresh claims may be made by applicants who have been disqualified on the grounds merely that they cannot be traced in the Census records which have been so often shown to be inaccurate?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe information asked for in the first two parts of the question is not available. In reply to the third part there is nothing in the Old Age Pensions Act on Statutory Regulations to prevent an unsuccessful claimant from making a fresh claim as soon as he pleases. But, if the fresh claim is made within four months of the date of a previous claim which has been disallowed, the Pension-officer is not bound to investigate it unless the claimant satisfies him that there is aprima facie reason to believe that the ground on which the former claim was disallowed is no longer in operation.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been directed to an application made for an old age pension by a man named Pat Scully, Bookeen, Kilnadeema, Loughrea; whether he is aware that the rent of his land is £2 3s. yearly; and whether an old age pension-will be granted to this applicant?
§ Mr. BIRRELLPatrick Scully has made three claims. On each occasion the pension officer appealed against the award by the Loughrea Pension Sub-committee of a pension of 5s. a week, and the Local Government Board disallowed the pension on the ground that Scully's means exceeded the statutory limit. When he made his first claim he was occupier of two farms, comprising about forty acres, well stocked and cropped. Before making his second claim he assigned these farms to his sons, 1351W apparently with a view to securing a pension. At the time he made his third claim, which was disallowed by the Board on the 2nd ultimo, he appears to have again become the occupier of the smaller of the two farms.
§ Mr. O'SHAUGHNESSYasked the Chief Secretary if he can say whether, before the pension officer appealed from the decision of the local pension sub-committee, who gave Mrs. Johanna Quirke, of Kilconlen, Abbeyfeale, in the county of Limerick, a pension, he had search made in the Census of 1851 to ascertain whether she was on the Census of that year; if so, can he state what was the result of the search; whether she was on that Census; and what was her age stated to be?
§ Mr. BIRRELLSearch was made in the Census Return of 1851, but the family to which Mrs. Quirk belonged could not be traced from the information she supplied.