§ 3. Mr. PONSONBYasked the Minister of Pensions whether he has received complaints from the Handsworth and district branch of the British Legion with regard to cases in which local medical boards have contradicted the decision of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal when it has been in the applicant's favour; and whether the Pensions Appeal Tribunal can, at the time of the hearing of an appeal, assess the disability so that the 2719 Ministry of Pensions can make the award accordingly?
§ Major TRYONMy attention has been called to the complaint referred to, which is, however, based on a misapprehension, as decisions of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal are invariably accepted by my Department. An Assessment Tribunal may, in confirming the finality of the award, increase or reduce it, or they may simply decide that the case is not ripe, for final decision. This does not necessarily mean that the Tribunal disagree with the rate at which the man's disablement has been assessed, and steps are being taken to make this clear in announcing decisions of this nature.