§ 34. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for War what is the normal length of time for which the medical records of units are kept.
§ Mr. John HareSome unit medical reports are destroyed after three months, but personal medical records are kept for many years.
§ Mr. E. JohnsonIs my right hon. Friend aware that claims arising from illness or disability caused or aggravated by service in the Army are often very hard to support because of lack of adequate records? Could he get a little more uniformity into the system, and see that the records are kept rather longer than is the case at present?
§ Mr. HareI have great sympathy with what my hon. Friend says. If he has any particular case, perhaps he will bring it to my attention, but I can assure him that our aim is not to destroy medical records until we are sure that the individual's position in any pension claim will not be affected by destruction.