Old Age Pensions.
asked the Secretary to the Treasury why a pension was refused to Thomas Dolan, Coracliffe, Glangevlin, county Cavan, P. O. R. No. 2101; and will he in the circumstances, namely, that the local committee know personally that Dolan is by age and means entitled to a pension, direct the Local Government Board to send a valuator to further report on this case?
Thomas Dolan's claims for a pension was disallowed by the Local Government Board on appeal on the ground that his means exceeded the statutory limit. He lives with his son on a fairly large, well-stocked and well-tilled farm, which had been assigned by him to the son in 1906 with certain reservations, and altogether the privileges derived there from are greater than £31 10s. As the claim has been decided, the Board have now no power to reopen consideration of the case or to take any further action in the matter.
asked the Secretary to the Treasury in how many cases in county Cork of appeals in old age pensions cases have the Local Government Board ordered an inquiry by their inspectors into the circumstances of the applicants; and in how many cases where this inspection was ordered have the pensions been granted?
As I have already stated, the information is not available, and could not be procured without exhaustive search which would take a considerable time, and its value would be out of all proportion to the labour involved.
asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the case of Mrs. Goy, of 42, Lower Craven Street, Salford, Manchester, is still under appeal to the appeal committee set up in connection with the National Insurance Act; if the appeal has been decided against Mrs. Goy, will the committee be prepared now to receive fresh evidence to prove that Mrs. Goy was of pensionable age when she made her original application; and, if there is no power under the Act to allow the appeal to be reconsidered and fresh evidence to be tendered, will he consider whether the Act can be amended so as to allow appeals to be reconsidered when fresh evidence as to age is obtainable?
I assume that it is intended to refer to an appeal by Mrs. Goy under the Old Age Pensions Act. The appeal, made in February, 1911, by Mrs. Goy, was carefully considered, and the Board upheld the decision of the pension committee. I understand that a fresh claim has recently been made by Mrs. Goy, and that the pension committee allowed the claim as from the 1st instant. No appeal against this decision has been made to the Board. The appeal on the original claim could not now be reopened.
IRISH SERVICES.
asked the Prime Minister whether he will give the items of the amount of £127,500 charged on the Consolidated Fund in respect of Irish services, other than reserved services, for 1912–13, as stated in Cd. 6154, page 7, Appendix B?
The Estimate is arrived at as follows:— Pensions for Judicial Services £13,000 Salaries and Allowances £21,500 Courts of Justice, Salaries £93,000
Full details of the separate items for the year 1910–11 will be found in House of Commons Paper 221 of 1911, and in the Finance Accounts for that year. The salaries of three Land Commissioners, whose work forms part of the general subject matter of the Land Purchase Acts, are included in the cost of reserved services. A further adjustment will be required in view of Clause 31 of the Government of Ireland Bill.
National School Teachers, Ireland (Pension Funds).
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland when he expects the new pension rules for Irish teachers to come into force; and what provision will be made for teachers already on pensions?
Provision is made in the Estimates for this year for an increase in the Grant to the Irish teachers' pension funds, and the new rules will be settled as shortly as the intricacy of the matter permits. I do not think it will be possible to give them retrospective effect.
Land Purchase (Ireland).
asked the Chief Secretary why Daniel Doody, of Knockaprecaun, Brosna, county Kerry, who pur- chased, at a public auction and with the consent of the Land Commission, in 1909 hall a farm owned by Mr. Dennis Coakley has not yet got a receipt in his own name for the annuities he has since paid; and whether, seeing that his refusal to pay the November annuity is due to the withholding of this receipt, steps will be immediately taken to grant it to him, and so save him any further expense and trouble?
The Land Commission inform me that the delay in completing the order dividing the holding and annuity in the case referred to in the question arose through the original tenant purchaser's unpunctuality in the payment of his instalments. The order has now been completed, and a separate receivable order has been issued to Daniel Doody for the payment of the May, 1912, instalment of the annuity now payable by him.
Teaching Irish Language (Fees Paid).
asked what was the amount of results fees paid to national teachers in Ireland for teaching the Irish language in the last financial year; of this sum how much was paid to male teachers in county Cork; how much was paid to female teachers in the same county; on what bases are the results fees calculated; and are results fees paid to teachers who have themselves no certificate to teach Irish or no knowledge of the language?
The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the amount of fees paid for the teaching of Irish language in national schools (including fees paid in schools in which the bilingual programme is sanctioned) in the last financial year was £12,197 14s. 1d. Of this sum there was paid to male teachers in county Cork £1,088 16s. 4d., to female teachers in the same county £1,113 10s. 2d. The bases on which fees are paid are laid down in the Rules and Regulations of the Commissioners. Fees are not paid to teachers unless they produce certificates or other satisfactory proofs of their competency to teach the subject.
Somaliland Operations, 1908–10 (Medals).
asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the crew of His Majesty's ship "Fox," employed in blockading the Somali coast in 1908 and 1909, have yet received their medals; and if there is any prize money still owing to this ships' company for captures in the Persian Gulf?
The medals awarded for service in His Majesty's ships employed in connection with the operations in Somaliland between 1908 and 1910 are now ready for issue, and a notice respecting the distribution was published in the "London Gazette" of the 10th instant. As regards the second part of the question, I must refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave to the Noble Lord the Member for Portsmouth on 15th April.
Certificated Elementary School Teachers (Pensions).
asked the President of the Board of Education whether anything is to be done this year to increase the pensions of elementary school teachers on retirement at the age of sixty-five?
I am hoping shortly to introduce a Bill to provide a substantial improvement in the pensions of certificated elementary school teachers.
Heaton Mersey Industrial School.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the boy Charles D. Cooper is compelled to associate at the Heaton Mersey Industrial School with boys convicted of criminal offences and of the sons of vicious parents; whether, seeing that under these circumstances any discipline that the boy will be subjected to will be of an unsatisfactory character, he will take steps to have the boy Cooper removed to some other home or entirely segregated from the society of thieves and criminals; and whether steps will be taken for placing boys who have merely played truant in an industrial home by themselves?
Boys sent to industrial schools are not "convicted," and, though some of them have no doubt committed petty offences, they must not be regarded as necessarily criminal or vicious, or of such a character as to be likely to do harm to Charles Cooper. Cooper was a persistent truant, and had been committed to a day industrial school, but he continued to play truant, and was addicted to sleeping out, which almost inevitably leads to criminal courses. Two of his brothers have been committed to a day industrial school, and it is clear that the parents have failed to exercise proper control. I do not think he will suffer from associating with the other boys at the school, and I believe there is good reason to hope that the discipline of the school will be beneficial to him.
Consular Representation in Russia.
asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs when he expects to receive the detailed Report of the inquiry by the commercial attaché at St. Petersburg into the question of adequate Consular representation in Russia; and whether the question of raising the status of the Consulate at St. Petersburg to that of Consulate-General and of increasing the number of salaried officials there can be considered without waiting for the general Report regarding the whole of Russia?
The Report by the commercial attaché has now been received, and his recommendations shall be carefully considered. Until this has been done I can give no definite reply to the second part of the question.
Death Rate (Counties).
asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he can give figures showing the death rate during the months of March and April of this year and the figures for the corresponding months of last year, distinguishing where possible the death rate amongst children in the following districts: counties of Glamorganshire (South Wales), Lanarkshire (Scotland), Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland?
Figures for March and April are not available, but the following table gives the death rates and the rates of infantile mortality during the three months ended 31st March, 1912, and the three months ended 31st March, 1911, so far as England and Wales are concerned:— — Death Rate per 1,000 Persons Living. Deaths of Children under 1 year of age per 1,000 Births. 1912. 1911. 1912. 1911. Glamorganshire 16.7 15.4 156 121 Lancashire 18.3 17.4 128 118 Yorkshire 16.3 17.2 109 127 Durham 15.4 16.3 113 126 Northumberland 15.6 16.0 102 124
For figures relating to Lanarkshire, application should be made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary for Scotland.
Cattle and Sheep Statistics.
asked the President of the Board of Agriculture for the latest figures showing how many cattle and sheep there are in the United Kingdom?
Number of cattle and sheep in the United Kingdom, as returned on 5th June, 1911 (including Isle of Man and Channel Islands):— — 1911 Number. Cows and Heifers in Milk or in Call 4,407,800 Other Cattle—Two years and above 2,413,501 Other Cattle—One year and under two 2,515,449 Other Cattle—Under one year 2,529,361 Total of Cattle 11,866,111 Ewes kept for Breeding 11,999,644 Other Sheep—One year and above 6,301,041 Other Sheep—Under one year 12,179,122 Total of Sheep 30,479,807
Consumption of Beef and Mutton.
also asked the total amount, in tons, of beef and mutton consumed in the United Kingdom in the year ending 31st December, 1911; and what was the percentage of home-grown meat consumed in the United Kingdom to imported meat?
The estimated consumption of beef and mutton in the United Kingdom during the twelve months ended 31st May, 1911, was as follows:— — Home Produced. Imports. Total Supply. Tons. Proportion per cent, of Total Supply. Tons. Proportion per cent, of Total Supply. Tons. Beef 695,507 59.8 467,595 40.2 1,163,102 Mutton 327,353 51.9 302,941 48.1 630,294
The home production is calculated on the basis suggested by the Royal Statistical Society.
Steamship "Olympic."
asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether the steamship "Olympic," owned by the White Star Line, discharged her crew at Southampton on Sunday, 21st April, and signed a crew on again on the same date; if so, will he explain why the Board of Trade gave permission to the White Star Company to sign crews on a Sunday; and whether additional remuneration was paid to the Board of Trade officials for their work?
The arrival of the steamship "Olympic" at Southampton on the occasion in question was delayed until Sunday morning (21st April) through the vessel having been taken out of her course in connection with the "Titanic" disaster. As she was due to sail again on the following Wednesday, the owners' application f6r the work of discharge and re-engagement of the crew to be proceeded with on that day was acceded to. No special privilege was allowed to the White — 1900. 1905. 1910. 1911. Beef— Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Live Cattle (equivalent weight†) 2,351,403 2,653,423 919,285 1,035,070 Fresh Beef (including chilled and frozen) 2,867,238 2,235,458 477,147 174,350 Salted 185,329 135,893 79,822 88,162 Preserved (including tinned and canned) 289,106 345,886 40,188 37,105 Total Beef 5,693,070 5,370,660 1,516,442 1,334,687 Mutton— Live Sheep (equivalent weight†) 76,557 72,906 — 22,931 Fresh Mutton (including chilled and frozen) 3,078 6,283 505 27 Preserved (including tinned and canned) 2,506 4,552 1,702 5,638 Total Mutton 82,141 83,741 2,207 28,596 Pork— Live Pigs — — — — Fresh Pork (including chilled and frozen) 238,179 139,760 1,044 4,099 Salted 128,402 78,311 38,886 45,769 Bacon 3,956,527 2,880,863 1,306,921 1,817,835 Hams 1,602,453 1,227,789 665,775 887,303 Total Pigmeat 5,925,561 4,326,723 2,012,606 2,755,006 Meat, unenumerated— Fresh or salted (including chilled or frozen) 140,473 171,476 115,784 106,074 Preserved otherwise than by salting (including tinned and canned) 128,251 116,333 81,266 94,913 Total unenumerated 268,724 287,809 197,050 200,987 Total Imports Live and Dead 11,969,602 10,068,933 3,728,305 4,319,276 * The figures for the year 1900 relate to shipments, and those for other years to consignment, from the United States. † The weight per head at which live cattle are estimated is 752 lbs. for the year 1900, and 744 lbs. for the years 1905, 1910 and 1911. The weight per head at which live sheep are estimated is 60 lbs. in all four years.
Star Line in this matter, the exigencies of trade making the transaction of the Mercantile Marine Office business on Sundays occasionally necessary, and the Board's officers have a discretion in acceding to applications of this character. Special fees are charged to shipowners for duties of this kind performed out of office hours, and the Board of Trade Mercantile Marine Office staff receive additional remuneration for their extra attendance.
Imported Meat.
asked the weight of meat imported into the United Kingdom from the United States of America for the years 1900, 1905, 1910, and 1911, respectively?
The quantity of meat imported into the United Kingdom from the United States of America in the years 1900,* 1905, 1910, and 1911, respectively, was as follows:—