§ 1. Captain BOWYERasked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware of the hardship caused to disabled men by the present strict interpretation of Article 6 (i) of the Royal Warrant as it relates to treatment allowances; that there are 35,000 disabled men receiving out-patient treatment, and of these only 9,000 are receiving treatment allowances despite the fact that the number of the remaining 26,000 are unable to work because of their war disability; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?
§ The MINISTER of PENSIONS (Mr. Roberts)I fear that the hon. and gallant Member has misinterpreted the figures which have been supplied to him. At the end of March the total number of disabled ex-service men in receipt of treatment of any kind other than inpatient treatment was 35,000, but of this number not 9,000 but 14,500 men were in receipt of allowances at the maximum rate of pension under Article 6 (i) of the Royal Warrant. Moreover, allowances may be and are made in other cases to cover occasional loss of remunerative time involved by out-patient treatment. This form of treatment, which is administered in the main through clinics set up by my Department, is as far as possible arranged by way of evening sessions and otherwise in such a manner as to involve the minimum of inconvenience to patients.