§ 6. Mr. R. MORRISONasked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware of the difficulty experienced by many ex-service men of understanding the effect of decisions made by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal; and will he take steps to see that the decisions conveyed to the men are of such a character that when they win their appeal they may be able to understand what the exact effect of the decision is?
§ Major TRYONI assume that the hon. Member has in mind the misapprehension which has arisen in some cases as to the meaning of a decision by an Assessment Appeal Tribunal which sets aside a final award. I am glad to be able to assure him that steps have already been taken to make the position clear by incorporating an explanatory note in the forms on which these decisions are announced.
§ Mr. MORRISONI take it, that means that steps will now be taken to make the decisions of the Tribunal plainly understood so that the men may know when they win their appeal what they have won and what the natural effect of the award will be?
§ Major TRYONIt is our object, and the hon. Member's also, to make quite clear the position to the applicant so that there shall be no misunderstanding.
§ 20. Mr. HERRIOTTSasked the Minister of Pensions whether, in the event of an appellant who has failed before the final appeals tribunal producing material new evidence which was not put before the tribunal, he will consider the advisability of granting a new hearing and, if necessary, introducing legislation for that purpose?
§ Major TRYONI would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for West Middlesbrough on the 7th June, of which I am sending him a copy.
§ 23. Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the Minister of Pensions what was the number of cases for the entitlement appeals tribunal outstanding in each region on the 30th June, 1923; and what is the number that have been outstanding more than three months?
§ Major TRYONAs the reply contains a number of figures I am circulating it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
| Region. | Appeals in hand at 30th June, 1923. | Appeals in hand for over 3 months. |
| Scotland | 417 | 93 |
| Northern | 289 | 58 |
| North Western | 1,007 | 276 |
| Yorkshire | 551 | 147 |
| Wales | 394 | 108 |
| West Midland | 763 | 134 |
| East Midland | 225 | 59 |
| South Western | 522 | 136 |
| London | 1,716 | 424 |
| Ulster | 356 | 269 |
| Ireland (South) | 448 | 316 |
§ 25. Mr. RICHARDSONalso asked the Minister of Pensions what is the number of Article 9 appeals that have been outstanding over two months; and how many appeals under this Article of the Royal Warrant were received in the six months ending 30th June, 1923?
§ Major TRYONThe numbers are 1,153 and 16,969 respectively.
§ 26. Mr. WHITELEYasked the Minister of Pensions what number of cases were dealt with before the final tribunals in 1921 and 1922 for entitlement and assessment, respectively, and the number of successful cases in each year?
§ Major TRYONThe number of appeals on entitlement decided by the tribunal during 1921 was 43,750, of which 11,500 were allowed. The comparative figures for 1922 are 37,350 and 9,950. The assessment tribunals, which did not commence work until June, 1922, decided 13,023 appeals up to the end of that year. Of these the assessment was increased in 2,500 cases, and lowered in 23. The final award was set aside in 2,500 cases and the appeal disallowed in 8,000 cases.
§ 29. Mr. D. G. SOMERVILLEasked the Minister of Pensions if his attention has been called to cases of maladies affecting ex-service men which have been admitted by two or more medical boards under his Department, but yet rejected by the Ministry headquarters to whom they were subsequently referred, whose duty it is to appeal against awards thus given in favour of the men; and how many cases, approximately, are there where the considered judgment of two medical boards has been upset by reference to the Ministry in London?
§ Major TRYONCases of entitlement are referred to headquarters from the region only where they present special features of difficulty. In no case is entitlement cancelled on medical grounds whether in the region or at the headquarters of the Ministry except upon the advice of a medical board (usually with a specialist on it) which has seen and examined the man.