§ 35. Mr. STEPHENasked the Minister of Pensions the number of final awards 1603 that have been made and the number of cases in which complaint has been made during 1924 and 1925, respectively, regarding such awards; and the number of those complaints which have been disallowed because appeal has not been made in the time allowed by the Regulations?
§ Major TRYON86,526 final awards were made in the calendar year 1924 and 31,299 in the present year up to the 31st October last. The number of appeals made against these awards are not classified in my Departmental records, but it may be estimated that about 18,000 cases appealed against the awards made in 1924 and about 4,500 against the awards made in the present year. I am unable to state how many of these appeals failed on the ground stated in the last part of the question, but the number would be small.
§ Captain GEEMay I ask whether there has been a corresponding reduction in the number of medical officers?
§ Major TRYONI cannot give my hon. and gallant Friend the figures at once, but the reduction of the staff throughout the whole of the Ministry has been enormous—certainly over 18,000, of all branches.