HC Deb 03 July 1941 vol 372 cc1490-1
53. Captain Sir Ian Fraser

asked the Minister of Pensions how many pension claims had been turned down by the Ministry at the date when independent appeal tribunals were set up in connection with the great war; how many of these claims were subsequently allowed by the tribunals; and the total number of claims for pension that were rejected by the Ministry of Pensions but subsequently allowed by the independent appeal tribunals from the time when the tribunals were set up in connection with the great war to the outbreak of the present war?

The Minister of Pensions (Sir Walter Womersley)

When the statutory appeal tribunals were set up in 1919 it is estimated that approximately 160,000 claims to pension on the ground that disablement or death was due to or aggravated by service had been rejected by the Ministry or the Service Departments. The right of appeal in these cases ran to August, 1922, and it is not possible to say how many of the cases allowed by the tribunals were rejected before those bodies were established. In all, from the beginning of the last war to date, approximately 500,000 claims to pension were rejected because disablement or death was not due to or aggravated by service, and in 46,600 cases, or just over 9 per cent., of the rejections a statutory tribunal allowed the claim on appeal.

54. Sir I. Fraser

asked the Minister of Pensions how many pension claims he has rejected since the outbreak of this war, military and civil, respectively?

Sir W. Womersley

In the case of civilian personnel, claims by approximately 500 widows made under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme have been rejected because death was not attributable to war injury or war service injury. A few claims by dependants have been rejected on similar grounds. The majority of civilian claims in respect of disablement are dealt with initially by the grant of injury allowances, which are paid by the Assistance Board as my agents. So far as claims for continuing pensions are concerned, 90 have been rejected. I regret that, in the public interest, I con-not give information indicating the total number of deaths or invalidings of Service and Mercantile Marine personnel.