§ 8. Mr. STRANGERasked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been called to the case of William Wallis, of Langbourne, late Royal Berkshire Regiment, private, No. 13,051, Ministry of Pensions No. 11/M/235,762, who enlisted on the outbreak of war, received a gunshot wound in the chest in the vicinity of the heart on the 27th September, 1915, was reported on the 10th August, 1916, by the invaliding board as suffering from that wound and from breathlessness on slight exertion attributable to a severe dose of gas which he got while lying wounded, and never likely again to be fit for soldiering; whether he is aware that the medical board has awarded a final assessment of 6–14 per cent. indeterminate duration, amounting to 7s. 6d. a week for two years and £20 gratuity, in respect of the gunshot wound in the chest, but, has not and never did award anything in respect of his having been gassed; 575 whether he is aware that the ground put forward for refusal of the board is the statement that the records of the hospitals in which he served during the War do not furnish evidence that he ever received treatment for such a condition; and whether, in view of the evidence of his medical attendant that his heart is in an extremely unsatisfactory state and the report of the invaliding board that his breathlessness was attributable to a severe dose of gas, a medical board may be directed to re-assess his disability?
Mr. ROBERTSI fear that the hon. Member has misapprehended the information conveyed to him. Mr. Wallis was wounded in the chest, and the symptoms claimed by him as due to gassing have in fact been taken full congnizance of, accepted as associated with his gunshot wound, and included in the assessments for the wounds. The final award, which has been confirmed on appeal within the past few months by the independent Appeal Tribunal, was based on an assessment of disablement in which full account was taken of all the symptoms of the case.
§ Mr. STRANGERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the tribunal said there was no evidence that there was any gas injury at all, whereas the documents showed that the gas injury had occurred?
Mr. ROBERTSIf the hon. Member will submit to me further information on that point, I will have it looked into.