§ 20. Mr. BROMLEYasked the Minister of Pensions whether, seeing that all awards made under the Regulations governing erroneous awards are made under the Dispensing Warrant of 1884 634 and after reference to the Treasury, he will consider the desirability of introducing such amendments to the Royal Warrant of 1919 as will permit of a man whose pension has ceased and the disability has recurred, and of men in receipt 635 of life pensions whose degree of disablement has increased since the issue of the final awards, appealing for the re-issue or increase of pension to his Department and avoid the months' delay that follows owing to the need of referring cases to the Treasury after the Ministry has decided the merits of the case justify the re-issue or increase of pension?
§ Major TRYONThe object proposed by the hon. Member would necessitate not an amendment of any Warrant, but the repeal of Section 4 of the War Pensions Act, 1921, and the abolition of the whole scheme of final settlement for disablement due to War service, which I am satisfied would not be in accordance with either the wishes or the interests of ex-service men. In cases where it is sought to impugn the statutory settlement otherwise than by the legal appeal procedure provided for by that Section, it is obvious that there must be the most careful consideration of the whole of the circumstances. In particular it must be shown that as a final decision as to the normal extent or degree of disablement resulting exclusively from the effects of War service, the final award is seriously and permanently erroneous. It is my desire to simplify the procedure as far as possible, but time is inevitably occupied in some cases in making the inquiries necessary in order to arrive at a just decision.