§ 37. Mr. HOGGEasked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state to whom all requests for supplementary pensions, grants, and allowances and also all requests for separation allowances, other than those payable from public funds, and applications from disabled soldiers and sailors for training, employment, etc., should now be sent; and whether, in view of the urgency of many eases, he will make a temporary arrangement at his own Department until such time as the new machinery is available?
§ Mr. LONGI do not think it is desirable to adopt the suggestion contained in the latter part of the question. Applications for supplementary pensions, grants, and allowances must for the present continue to be dealt with by the organisations which have hitherto dealt with such cases, and I may remind the hon. Member that the Naval and Military War Pensions Bill provides that, pending the appointment of local committees and sub-committees, the statutory Committee may make arrangements with existing organisations for carrying on their work.
§ Mr. HOGGEIs my right hon. Friend aware that does not apply to superannuation allowances which are not payable out of public funds?
§ Mr. LONGAllowances not payable out of public funds are payable through the same organisation. The funds come from another source, but the same system prevails.
§ 70. Mr. HOGGEasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he has considered the case of the late Private William Gordon, Sutherland, of the Lovat Scouts; whether he is aware that this man was a native of Brora; that he was passed on enlistment as medically fit; that he has since died arid left a wife and six young children; and that the War Office refuse any pension to his widow although his death was due to illness contracted while with the Colours; whether the War Office mean what they say when they announce in Army Orders that pensions will be payable to dependants of soldiers who die of wounds or disease contracted while with the Colours at home and abroad; and, if so, what is the reason why the pension is being withheld from Mrs. Gordon?
§ Mr. TENNANTThis man arrived at his training station with chronic disease of the heart. His disability was not due to military service or climate, but was permanent. He was given light duty and had much leave and was constantly in hospital. As the medical authorities do not consider that Private Sutherland's illness was contracted in the Service, no pension is, therefore, due.
§ Mr. PRINGLEWas he submitted to medical examination before he enlisted?
§ Mr. TENNANTYes, Sir; he must have been subjected to an examination.
§ Mr. PRINGLEWas he certified to be suffering from heart disease, because I understand that heart, disease prevents a man from being accepted?
§ Mr. TENNANTI do not think he was certified as free from heart disease. He was certified as being fit for the Army.
§ Mr. HOGGEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that when this man was enlisted he was one of a group of men from Brora, that four of them were rejected, and that this man was accepted as medically fit; and do the War Office intend to stand by their promise that if a man contracts disease after having joined the Army, whether with the Colours or at home, his dependants are entitled to a pension?
§ Mr. TENNANTOf course we intend to stand by our promise- The fact is that this man ought never to have been enlisted. He had chronic disease of the 1643 heart. He did not contract his disease in the service of the country, therefore no pension can be paid.
§ Mr. HOGGEIs my right hon. Friend aware of the seriousness of this question; is he aware that a doctor acting for the Army passed this man as medically fit and that the disease was contracted since he was passed as medically fit; and, in view of these circumstances, will the War Office act up to their promise?
§ Mr. TENNANTOf course I recognise the seriousness of this. It is a very serious matter that the man should have heart disease and die, but I must point out again that he did not contract this disease in the service of the country, and that he was passed as fit, probably by a mistake?—probably, but not necessarily. It is not always possible, I understand, in a single examination to find everything about a man's heart. That being the case, I really do not see that I can pursue the matter further.
§ Mr. CAVEAs I know of other such cases, can the right hon. Gentleman say whether this man's death was accelerated by his service in the Army?
§ Mr. TENNANTMy information is that the man was treated with very great leniency. He was constantly in hospital, he was given leave on several occasions, he was put upon light diet and never utilised as a soldier but in the kitchen; therefore his heart would not be affected by that. Every consideration was shown to him. Therefore I think I can answer the right hon. and learned Gentleman's question in the negative.
§ Mr. SUTTONHas the right hon. Gentleman any information that the man was constantly ill with his heart previously to his enlistment?
§ Mr. COWANWhy was not this man discharged from the Army when found to be suffering from heart disease?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe answer to that is, that he was discharged as soon as possible, but he died afterwards. With regard to the man's previous history, I cannot say anything about that.