Mr. ALAN SYKESasked the President of the Local Government Board whether statistics showing the number of pensioners of each sex resident in each administrative county and county borough are annually compiled and published, but are not so compiled and published for non-county boroughs; and, if so, whether he can see his way to place non-county boroughs in the same category as county boroughs in this respect, so that the pension committees of such areas may have the figures for comparison?
§ Mr. MASTERMANThe question of Old Age Pension Statistics was very carefully considered by a committee in 1910, and it was then decided the classification should be compiled on the basis of the larger administrative areas, as it was felt that the results to be obtained from a multiplication of the units of classification would be quite disproportionate to the additional labour and expense involved. I fear I could not undertake to increase the number of classification areas.
1200W
§ Captain WARINGasked the Secretary for Scotland why John Calder, of Findochty, Banffshire, who was granted leave to apply for an old age pension by the local pension committee on 6th December, 1912, has not yet received it, and when will he get it?
Mr. McKINNON WOODAccording to the Census Returns, John Calder was seven years old on 31st March, 1851, and the Local Government Board for Scotland had no alternative but to proceed on this evidence and sustain the pension officer's appeal against the decision of the committee allowing a pension. Assuming John Calder to have been born on 8th June, as he stated in his claim, he will not, according to the evidence of the Census, attain the age of seventy until 8th June next.