§ 1 and 2. Major COHENasked the Minister of Pensions (1), whether any awards in payment to disabled officers who have lost limbs in the service of the country and are in receipt of wound pensions plus half-pay are being reviewed; whether any have been reduced; and, if so, on what grounds;
(2), whether he is considering the reduction of disabled officers' pensions; and, if so, what sum it is estimated will be saved annually, and the number of officers affected?
§ The MINISTER of PENSIONS (Major Tryon)No general reduction of disabled officers' pensions or of pensions of other ranks is either in process or in contemplation. I am glad to say that the majority of cases are now in receipt of final awards. The exceptional provision alluded to by my hon. and gallant Friend, by which under the Royal Warrants of 1917 and 1920 a temporary officer may in certain circumstances be awarded a specially favourable pension in the form of half-pay in addition to a wound pension, instead of the ordinary disability retired pay, is subject to the condition, imposed by the Army Council Pay Warrant of 1919, that the earning capacity of the officer must be shown to be seriously affected by his wound or injury. To ensure that this condition continues to be fulfilled, cases of this class have necessarily to be reviewed by my Department from time to time. I have no record of the total number of cases which have been adversely affected in consequence of this review, because, while in some cases the officer is placed on the normal rate of disability retired pay because the governing condition of the previous award is found to be no longer fulfilled, in other cases the more favourable award is restored on its being shown by the officer that his earning capacity is now seriously affected by his wound.
§ Major COHENIn view of the difficulty of discussing this matter by question and 2257 answer, I beg leave to state that I will raise it on the Motion for the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.