§ 5. Mr. RONALD McNEILLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the case of John Doughty, who, after serving for seven and a half years in the Navy, during which time his character was uniformly rated officially as very good and he was awarded a first-class good conduct badge, was invalided out of the Service on the 21st July, 1905, in consequence of injuries received while in the performance of duty, by which he sustained compound fracture of the nose and wrist, and a resulting 666 attack of double pneumonia, rheumatic fever, and inflammation of the heart, by which he has been permanently disabled from making a livelihood; whether a temporary pension of 1s. per day for two years and of 6d. per day for the following three years was awarded to John Doughty, and a naval gratuity of £7 was then offered him as final compensation but was not accepted; and whether, having regard to the nature of the case, he will treat it as a special case in which, by the exercise of the Admiralty's discretion under the Regulations, a pension may be awarded in lieu of a gratuity, or, in the alternative, if he will award to John Doughty a Greenwich Hospital Pension, Class IV.?
§ Dr. MACNAMARADoughty was invalided from the Service in July, 1905, after five years' man's service, on account of an injury to his wrist received on duty. He had also received injury to his nose and suffered from rheumatic fever and pneumonia. A pension, varying from 1s. 0½d. to 6½d. a day, according to the medical reports as to his physical condition, was awarded to him until 30th September, 1911. He was then reported to be "materially" able to contribute to his support and to be actually employed as an insurance collector. A gratuity of £7 in final compensation—making a total of £88 granted for the injury—was accordingly awarded. The necessary papers were issued, but nothing was heard from Doughty, although payment would have been made at any time if so desired, without prejudice to reconsideration of the case. The Regulations do not contemplate the award of permanent pensions to men of short service unless the injuries are of a serious character. In all cases of men who have been injured in the naval service the Admiralty feel in duty bound to give sympathetic and careful consideration to any representations made at any time. Although, in accordance with the medical reports at the time, a man may have been correctly awarded final compensation and his case apparently closed, should his physical condition subsequently deteriorate, owing to a recrudescence of the effects of his injury, the Admiralty is always ready to review the case and, if the facts justify such action, to award further compensation. Steps are being taken to have Doughty medically surveyed, and, if his condition warrants such a course, his pension will be revived at the appropriate rate.