MEMORANDUM.

THE OLD AGE PENSIONS ACTS, 1908 TO 1924.

THE BLIND PERSONS ACT, 1920.

TITLE TO PENSION.

1. To be eligible for the receipt of a pension a person must have attained the age of 70 ye if he is so blind as to be unable to perform any work for which eyesight is essential, he must have a the age of 50 years.

2. Further, he must satisfy the pension authorities:

(a) As regards Nationality, that for at least the preceding 10 years he has been a British A woman, however, who would but for her marriage with an alien have fulfilled this condition receive a pension.

() As regards Residence, if he is a natural-born British subject, that he has since attaini age of 50 (30 in the case of a blind person) resided in the United Kingdom for an aggregate ot at least 12 years, or, if he is not a natural-born British subject, that he has resided in the Kingdom for an aggregate period of at least 20 years.

For the purpose of this condition any period spent abroad (1) in service under the Crown nerated out of moneys provided by Parliament, or as the wife or servant of a person in such serv (2) during which the claimant has maintained or assisted in maintaining any dependent in the Kingdom; any period spent in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man by a claimant born in the Kingdom; any period of service on board a vessel registered in the United Kingdom, by a cla who before his absence on that service was living in the United Kingdom; any period of tem absence not exceeding three months; and any period of residence in the area of the Irish Free before the establishment of the Free State, count as periods of residence in the United Kingdo

(c) As regards Means, that his yearly means as calculated under the Pensions Acts do not £19 17s. 6d., regard being had to the yearly value of any advantage accruing from the person or enjoyment of property (e g., a house belonging to the claimant in which he resides) and to the value of any benefit or privilege such as free board or lodging or voluntary allowances, as wel income in cash and to property invested or otherwise put to profitable use, or capable of investm profitable use.

ASSESSMENT OF MEANS.

3. In dealing with the property of a claimant which is not personally used or enjoyed by e.g., a house in which he does not reside, stocks, shares and investments, the total capital valu be ascertained. Of the ascertained value £25 is to be ignored, and the yearly value of the rem obtained by dividing any capital sum not exceeding £375 by 20, and any excess over £375 Thus, for pension purposes, the amount of the income actually derived from property of the is immaterial, the assessment of yearly value being based upon a fixed proportion of capital valu

4. When the claimant is one of a married couple living together in the same house, each couple is deemed to be entitled to one-half of any property jointly or severally owned by ther one-half the total joint means is taken to be the means of either of them.

5. Earnings are assessed as far as possible on the basis of actual receipts. In the abse satisfactory information as to the probable receipts during the ensuing year, the amount re during the previous year is taken.

6. A deduction not exceeding £39 a year is made from such part of a claimant's means as is not ived from earnings. In the case of a married couple living together in the same house the corresding deduction from joint yearly means other than earnings is a sum not exceeding £78.

7. If any person has directly or indirectly deprived himself of any income or property in order to lify himself for the receipt of a pension, or for the receipt of a pension at a higher rate than that which he would otherwise be entitled, that income or the yearly value of that property is reckoned as it of his means.

SCALE OF PENSION.

8 The minimum rate of pension, 1s. a week, is payable where the yearly means calculated as plained above exceed £47 58., but do not exceed £49 17s. 6d. The maximum rate, 10s. a week, ayable where the yearly means do not exceed £26 5s., and there are intermediate rates of 2s., 48., and 8s., where the means are assessed at not more than £47 5s., £42, £36 15s. and £31 10s., ectively.

DISQUALIFICATIONS.

9. A person is disqualified for receiving a pension while he is detained in a lunatic asylum or ntained in any place as a pauper or criminal lunatic; detained in prison after conviction of an ace, if he has not been allowed the option of a fine; or disqualified by an order of court after viction under the Inebriates Act, 1898; or while he is an inmate of a poor-law institution, unless he entered the Institution for medical or surgical treatment, in which case he does not, if he continues equire such treatment, become disqualified until three months after his admission.

CLAIMS.

10. Any person may make a claim, if he wishes to do so, at any time not more than four months are the date on which, in his opinion, he will be entitled to receive a pension; and it is desirable take advantage of this concession.

Forms of claim can be obtained free at any post office. Claims must be made on the prescribed tm and forwarded to the local Pension Officer. The Pension Officer's address will be supplied, and istance in filling up the form will, if desired, be given at the post office.

The right of claim may be exercised notwithstanding the fact that a previous claim has been

sallowed.

In the case of a person who, by reason of mental or other incapacity, is unable to act for himself, elain may be made by a duly authorised agent. A form of application for the appointment of an zent by the Local Pension Committee may be obtained from the Clerk to the Committee.

11. The claimant will be visited by the Pension Officer, whose duty it is to ascertain whether the aimant fulfils the statutory conditions and is or is not subject to any disqualification, and to report on e claim

12. In filling up forms and in furnishing information to the Pension Officer complete and true tements are required. Any false statement or false representation knowingly made for the purpose obtaining a pension involves a liability to summary proceedings, the maximum penalty being six aths' imprisonment with hard labour.

13. Any evidence of age which the claimant may possess should be shown to the Pension Officer on #visit. The best evidence is a certificate of birth. Failing this, evidence may be afforded by any the following documents, namely, certificate of baptism; certificate of marriage; bible or book ustaining an old entry of the date of the claimant's birth; any other family record such as an entry a birthday book, or dated birthday cards or letters; certificate of service in the Navy or Army or ther employment under the Crown, or in the Mercantile Marine; life insurance policy; certificate of embership of any Friendly, Provident or Approved Society or Trade Union, showing age or date of arth as entered at date of becoming a member; indenture of apprenticeship.

A claimant who has not a birth certificate should be prepared to give full particulars of his paren birth-place and date of birth, and of the place of his residence at the time of the Census taken in 1861. Arrangements have been made whereby the Pension Officer on obtaining these partic will generally be able to make enquiries which will establish the claimant's age without expense claimant.

CONSIDERATION OF CLAIMS.

14. The claim, after investigation and report by the Pension Officer, will be considered b Local Pension Committee (or Sub-Committee), whose decision will be communicated to the cla by their Clerk. An opportunity of being heard by the Committee will be afforded in any case in it is proposed to reject the claim or to allow a pension at less than the maximum rate.

A claimant who is invited to attend before the Committee, but is too ill or infirm to do so, may a representative.

15. When a claim has been provisionally allowed and a pension awarded as from a date i future, the claimant may, if he thinks that he will be entitled to receive a pension at an earlier or at a higher rate than that granted, make written application to the Pension Officer for alterat the allowance. The application will be transmitted to the Committee for decision as in the case claim.

PAYMENT OF PENSION.

16. A pension commences to accrue when the claim is received by the Pension Officer, or whe claimant first becomes entitled to the pension, whichever is the later; and is payable on Frid each week. Every pensioner is supplied with a book of pension orders to be cashed at the post chosen by him.

If a pensioner because of removal for not less than four weeks to a new address, or for other re desires to change the post office at which his pension is paid, he can obtain from the post office Pension Officer a form of application for the transfer. If illness or infirmity prevents a pensioner calling personally at the post office to draw his pension, a temporary arrangement will be ma application at the post office, or a permanent arrangement may be made on application to the Pe Officer, for payment to a deputy.

Payment on account of an old age pension cannot be made to any person while absent from United Kingdom, and a pension order is not payable more than three months after its due date.

INCREASE OF PENSION.

17. If at any time a person who is in receipt of a pension of less than 10s. a week considers tha can show that, having regard to his yearly means, he is, or within four months will be, entitled pension at a rate higher than that which he is receiving, he may write to the Pension Officer st his position. As in the case of a claim. the question raised by the pensioner in his letter will be ref to and decided by the Committee.

REVOCATION OR REDUCTION OF PENSION.

18. The Pension Officer may at any time raise a question :

(a) whether at any time or during any period a pensioner has been in receipt of a pet when the statutory conditions were not fulfilled, or when he was disqualified for rece a pension, or

(b) whether a pensioner has been at any time or during any period in receipt of a pencion certain rate when his means exceeded the amount justifying that pension, or

(c) whether a person who is in receipt of a pension at a certain rate has ceased, or wi four months will cease to be entitled, having regard to his means, to receive pension.

If such a question is raised, the pensioner will be informed and he will have an opportunity of attending the meeting of the Committee at which the question is considered; and he will be notified of their decision.

19. The revocation of a pension does not preclude the making of a fresh claim (see paragraph 10), nor does the reduction of a pension preclude a pensioner from raising a question (see paragraph 17).

APPEALS.

20. Any decision of a Local Pension Committee is subject to appeal to the Minister of Health by the Pension Officer or by the claimant or pensioner. The latter will receive notice of any appeal submitted by the Pension Officer in his case.

Any appeal by a claimant or pensioner has to be made within seven days after the receipt of notice from the Committee of their decision. The Minister may in special circumstances entertain an appeal made more than seven days, but cannot in any circumstances entertain an appeal made more than fourteen days, after the receipt of the notice.

The Minister can upon an appeal do no more than determine whether in the particular case the requirements of the Pensions Acts are satisfied. He cannot disregard or relax any of the conditions which Parliament has imposed.

MINISTRY OF Health,

WHITEHALL,

LONDON, S.W.1.

20th May, 1925.

CIRCULAR OF HOME OFFICE.

Home Office,

Whitehall,

17th April, 1925.

BOROUGH COUNCILLORS (ALTERATION OF NUMBER) ACT, 1925.

Sir, I am directed by the Secretary of State to draw the attention of the Council of your Borough to the Borough Councillors (Alteration of Number) Act, 1925.

Hitherto it has not been possible for the number of Councillors of a Borough to be altered except by local Act or Provisional Order confirmed by Parliament. By the new Act the procedure of Section 30 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882, under which a Municipal Borough may be divided into wards or the number or boundaries of its wards may be altered by Order in Council, is applied to the alteration of the number of Councillors of the Borough, and the Council of the Borough are empowered to petition for an alteration of the number of Councillors either with or without a division of the Borough into wards or an alteration of the number or boundaries of the wards.

If a Borough is not divided into wards, and the Council petition only for an alteration of the number of the Councillors, the provisions of sub-section (3) to (15) of the section will not apply. The Order in Council fixing the number of Councillors will specify the date on which the alteration will have effect.

In all other cases the procedure of sub-sections (3) to (15) will apply with necessary modifications. If the Council of a Borough already divided into wards petition only for an alteration of the number of Councillors, a Commissioner will be appointed by the Secretary of State to prepare a scheme, to be approved by Order in Council, apportioning the new Councillors amongst the wards. If the Borough is to be divided into wards, or the number or boundaries of the wards altered, the scheme of the Commissioner with respect to the new or altered wards will deal with the apportionment of the additional councillors.

Any Order in Council or scheme may include necessary incidental, consequential and supplemental provisions, and accordingly provision may be made as to the election and term of office of the first new Councillors and any additional Aldermen to be elected as a consequence of the increase in the number of Councillors.

I am, Sir,

The Town Clerk.

Your obedient Servant,

A. J. EAGLESTON.