asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that Old Age Pension officers in the case of applicants for old age or blind pensions are writing to the St. Vincent de Paul and other charitable societies requesting to be informed if applicants are in receipt of alms from these societies and the weekly value of any such alms received by applicants and are calculating such alms or charitable donations for the purposes of assessing the old age pension; whether such inquisition in the case of private charitable societies is permissible or provided for in any of the Old Age Pensions Acts (1908 to 1924), and, if so, whether he will indicate the particular section of the Act or Acts governing the matter; whether those charitable societies are bound by any section of any of these Acts to give such information, and if not, whether he will instruct pension officers accordingly.
WRITTEN ANSWERS. - OLD AGE PENSIONERS AND ALMS.
It is the duty of the pension officer to ascertain and report to the Pension Authorities the means from all sources of every claimant to a pension as calculated in accordance with the Old Age Pension Acts. In the discharge of this duty it might fall to him to make inquiries of the nature referred to, but I am unable to agree with the Deputy that there is anything in the nature of an inquisition in these investigations.
As regards the authority under which these inquiries are made, I would refer the Deputy to No. 9 of the Old Age Pensions Consolidated Regulations, 1922, and paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Second Schedule of these Regulations.