§ 25. Mr. Fosterasked the Minister of Pensions whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding mental cases discharged from the Services without pension who are being maintained in mental hospitals by relatives or local authorities.
§ Sir W. WomersleyMental patients discharged from the Services in the present war, whose condition is not attributable to their service, and who require institutional treatment for more than six months after discharge, are entitled in common with other patients of unsound mind to treatment in mental hospitals administered by local authorities. The Government would strongly deprecate any suggestion that the treatment so provided is not fully satisfactory or that under modern conditions such patients have a status inferior to that of other patients in local authority hospitals.
§ Mr. FosterIs the Minister aware that the reply just given is not an answer to the Question, and that in reply to questions which have been put previously, and in reply to a speech which I made in the war pensions Debate, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry undertook to give consideration to this matter and to make an early statement to the House as to what the Minister was prepared to do?
§ Sir W. WomersleyIt is not really a question for me to answer, except as a courtesy to my hon. Friend, because the matter was taken entirely out of the hands of the Ministry of Pensions in 1924, and handed over to the Board of Control. I undertook to make inquiries from the Board of Control and to ascertain what the Government decision on this matter was, and I have given it in this answer.
§ Mr. GuyIs it not a fact that the Board of Control and local authorities are pressing the Minister to accept these cases as Service cases?
§ Sir W. WomersleyNo, Sir, not the Board of Control. One authority representing the Lancashire County Council have done so. That is all I have had up to now.
§ Mr. FosterAm I to understand from the reply the right hon. Gentleman has given that the Government have decided that no action is to be taken in these cases to recognise these cases, as was done in the last war?
§ Sir W. WomersleyYes, that is right.