§ 36. Lieut.-Colonel THOMasked the Minister of Pensions what is the procedure by which new medical or other evidence which was not before a pensions appeal tribunal on the hearing of a War pension claim and which, had it been before the tribunal, would or might have resulted in a decision different from that arrived at, is brought to the notice of the tribunal; and whether the claimant in such circumstances is given an opportunity before the tribunal of leading and being heard on, and having his claim reconsidered in the light of, such new evidence?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of PENSIONS (Lieut.-Colonel Stanley)The decision of an appeal tribunal is, by Statute, final, and the provisions of the War Pensions Act, 1919, do not admit of a re-hearing by the tribunal of cases once decided. As, however, the House has on more than one occasion been informed, the Ministry have been enabled, in exceptional cases where fresh material evidence is produce, to reconsider the claim. If such 804 evidence is produced in a case where an appeal has been made and has failed, it is their practice to consult the president of the tribunal informally before making any recommendation for a grant, in order that no point in favour of the claimant may be overlooked.