§ Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the desirability of amending the memorandum, issued from his Department on 20th May, 1925, which lays down the method of assessing the additional means permitted to claimants of old age pensions under the 1924 Act; whether he is aware that the present method of calculating the yearly value of savings, investments, or house property, in which the claimant does not live, on a fixed proportion of capita] value causes many hardships, and that frequently the assessed yearly value is far higher than the actual receipts enjoyed by the claimant; and whether he will consider amending paragraph 3 of the memorandum so that the unearned income of claimants shall be assessed at its actual value in receipts to the claimant and not upon a fictitious percentage?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI would point out to my Noble Friend that the memorandum to which he refers does not convey any Departmental directions, but merely re-states the conditions imposed by Parliament itself, and that it is not open to me to modify those conditions.