War-disabled Pensioners (Hansard, 3 December 1956)

§ 17. Mr. Collins
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that persons in receipt of pensions for less than 40 per cent. disability, who were disabled in the 1914–18 war, have difficulty in finding employment; and if he will grant to them the same increase in their pensions as is now enjoyed by those with a disability greater than 40 per cent.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I am aware that some pensioners of the 1914–18 war, whose average age is now 65, have employment difficulties. The disablement resettlement officers of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service, with whom my welfare officers work closely, do all they can to help over this. So far as the second part of the Question is concerned, I have no further improvements in war pension provisions to announce in addition to those I announced on 19th November.

§ Mr. Collins
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that all the arguments which very likely justified the increase to pensioners with more than 40 per cent. disability apply with equal force to those with a lower pensionable disability, for when these people lose their present employment they find it much more difficult to get jobs than do able-bodied persons of the same age? If the Minister 864 cannot do anything in the present circumstances, will he regard this matter as one of priority and, when possible, do something for the lesser disabled persons who are enduring considerable hardship?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I agree with the hon. Gentleman that there is a real problem here. So far as his suggestion is concerned, he will appreciate that it is always possible to argue more or less logically for an improvement in any provisions, but I think in this case the right thing was to concentrate what resources were available where the need was plainly greatest, as I think it is in the direction in which they are going.

§ 21. Mr. Allaun
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will consider reducing the age of eligibility for the war pensioners' ageing allowance in order to give aid and comfort to ageing limbless and other severely disabled men during their lifetime.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
No, Sir. The Government considered very carefully the position of all classes of disabled war pensioners before deciding the conditions for the award of this particular allowance.

§ Mr. Allaun
As many of these men were only 18 to 20 years of age when they lost their limbs and are feeling the effects of carrying artificial limbs for over forty years, particularly artificial limbs requiring harnesses, could not the age be reduced to 60, which would cost only an extra £560,000 a year, and a diminishing charge at that?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
No, Sir. As the House will understand, in deciding on this matter I gave very careful thought as to what was the correct age at which this allowance ought to be payable. The House will recall that now the average age of the disabled of the first war is, in fact, 65, and I came to the conclusion that with such resources as were available, as I said a moment ago, it was better to concentrate them where the need seemed most acute of all.

§ Mr. Chetwynd
Would the right hon. Gentleman consider that, as this is an average, obviously there must be some people beneath the age of 65? Would it not be a more equitable system to base it on injuries or disabilities which occurred in the First World War, and thus bring them all in?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
No. The ordinary assessment takes account of the degree of injuries. This is an allowance in addition to the existing assessments linked with a certain degree of disability and age.

§ 26. Mr. Simmons
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance the numbers of 1939–45 war disabled pensioners who have been medically boarded during the past 12 months, and the numbers of cases in which pension assessments have been increased or reduced.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
During the 12 months ended 30th September, 1956, 105,680 pensioners of the 1939–45 war were medically boarded, 4,730 assessments were increased and 26,670 assessments were reduced.

§ Mr. Simmons
Will the Minister say whether this represents a tightening up in his Department? A figure of 26,000 reduced assessments seems very high compared with 4,000 increased assessments. Will the right hon. Gentleman examine his medical division and ascertain whether it is not being too hardhearted in this matter?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
Certainly I give that assurance asked for in the first part of the supplementary. There has been no change in the principle of assessment since the time when the hon. Gentleman was at the same Department. I think what impressed him about the figures and the considerable number of reductions compared with increases can be understood by the fact that his Question relates to men of the 1939–45 war, men in respect of whom, with the aid of modern science, it has, I am glad to say, been possible to secure steady improvements in their medical conditions, and therefore, of course, a decrease in their assessments.

§ 27. Mr. Simmons
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, in view of the present complexity of the war pensions provisions, if he will take steps, additional to the issue of a leaflet, to ensure that all war disabled pensioners receive all to which they are properly entitled under those provisions; and whether he will consider the training and appointment of pensions experts to act as war pensioners' friends for those purposes.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I am most anxious that war pensioners should receive everything to which they are entitled and, as the hon. Member knows, a great deal has been done in recent years to secure this. I have in course of preparation leaflets which will set out clearly the various benefits to which war pensioners are entitled, and which I intend to send to each war pensioner. I would be glad to let the hon. Gentleman have a copy of the draft in a few days time. In addition, my officers, and in particular my welfare officers, regard it as their duty to help pensioners over this, and so the functions which the hon. Member has in mind are already performed. Perhaps I might also be allowed to acknowledge the very real help given by hon. Members of this House.

§ Mr. Simmons
Would the Minister say whether the staff of the welfare department dealing with war pensions has been decreased since the merger, and whether the personal contact between the welfare department and the pensioner is as great as it was two or three years ago?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I can certainly give an assurance on the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary. On staff numbers, I should be grateful if the hon. Gentleman would put a Question down.

§ Sir I. Fraser
Is it not a fact that the Ministry is very often the judge, except when the House of Lords Appeal Tribunal is the judge, and that it is really better in the interests of all that advocacy should be undertaken by some outside body rather than by a body which itself is the judge? Does not the British Legion fulfil a very useful function in this respect?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I gratefully acknowledge the work which the British Legion and other ex-Service organisations do in giving advice in this matter which has resulted in many pensioners securing an improvement in their pensions. But I certainly also regard it as my own Department's duty to help in the same way, and I am glad to say it does it wholeheartedly.

§ 28. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton
asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many disabled pensioners of the 1914–18 war will receive no benefit from 867 the improved pensions and allowances coming into effect next February; and how many of these are limbless.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
About 57,600 of the 248,000 1914–18 war pensioners will get the new allowance payable at age 65 in February. About 10,000 of the 21,000 limbless pensioners of that war will get this allowance in February; the remaining 11,000 will receive it on reaching the age of 65. There are also a small number of minor amputation cases whose assessments are under 40 per cent. The number of 1914–18 war men who will receive the increased comforts allowance is about 3,200, and the extended comforts allowance 6,800. Rather more than half of both of these will not also be receiving the new allowance.

§ Lieut.-Colonel Lipton
Is it not rather unsatisfactory that rather more than half of the limbless men of the 1914–18 war are getting nothing extra under the new scales announced? Will not the Minister have another look at the Regulations, because, by a comparatively minor adjustment, he could ensure that at least more than half of these 1914–18 men would get something?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
Very nearly half will get it in February when the allowance starts. As I told the House in answer to an earlier Question, the average age of the First World War pensioner is now approximately 65, so a considerable number of the balance will be coming up to 65 and getting the allowance in the fairly early future.

§ Mr. Royle
Is it not a fact that it is possible that a man who is 57 years of age today could have been wounded in the First World War? Is the Minister aware that many of us who took part in that war and who are not limbless are feeling the burden of our years; so what must happen in their case? Will he look at the matter again in view of the figures he has given?

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
I think the hon. Gentleman should bear in mind also that the announcement I made last week included adjustments and improvements in the comforts allowance and its extension, and the comforts allowance, as I know the hon. Gentleman knows, is an allowance designed to help the hardest cases of all ages. I think he ought really to look at all these cases as a whole.