HC Deb 20 December 1965 vol 722 cc1703-7
The Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (Miss Margaret Herbison)

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement.

Mr. Speaker

Order. If hon. Gentlemen must leave, I wish that they would do so quietly. We have a long programme of important business ahead of us.

Miss Herbison

With permission, Mr. speaker, I should like to make a statement about the Report of the Committee on the Assessment of Disablement. The Report is being published today as a Command Paper and copies will be available presently in the Vote Office.

Following an all-party Motion, my predecessor appointed in October, 1964 an independent committee under the chairmanship of Lord McCorquodale of Newton. The Committee was asked to consider whether the schedules of certain specified injuries under the war pensions and industrial injuries schemes required alteration, and whether there was a case for any special provision in respect of amputation as such, either generally or in relation to advancing age.

On behalf of the Government I wish to thank Lord McCorquodale and his colleagues very warmly for their detailed and expert examination, which has resulted in a most valuable Report.

I am glad to be able to tell the House that the Committee firmly endorses the general structure of compensation under both schemes. It has recommended only two changes in the Schedules. First, that very severe amputations which involve taking away not only an arm or a leg, but part of the shoulder or buttock as well, should be specifically included at the 100 per cent. level, at which such amputations already receive unscheduled assessments. Secondly, that the present mid-thigh assessment point for a leg amputation should be replaced by one at the knee, with a consequent increase from 60 to 70 per cent. in the scheduled assessment for amputation above the knee up to mid-thigh. The Committee felt that the Schedules should reflect the importance now attached to the knee joint in the fitting and functioning of an artificial limb by rounding up the assessment of those who have lost their knee and not by reducing the assessment of those who have kept it; but it emphasised that its recommendation does not imply any disturbance in the general relativities of compensation.

I have decided to accept both these recommendations. The best estimate I can make is that getting on for 4,000 war pensioners and perhaps 500 industrial disablement pensioners will receive higher assessments.

On the second part of its terms of reference, the Committee found no evidence to show that amputation in itself constituted a greater relative burden or handicap than other forms of disablement assessed at the same levels for the purpose of the basic disablement pension, and no grounds for any special provision for amputation either generally or in relation to advancing age. It has, however, recommended that a new allowance should be introduced for those pensioners whose disablement, whether due to amputation or other disabilities, is of such exceptional severity that they are receiving constant attendance allowance at a rate above the normal maximum or would be receiving it but for the fact that they are in hospital. I am happy also to accept this recommendation. The new allowance will he at the rate of £3 a week. While, again, I cannot tell the House precisely how many pensioners are likely to be affected, since many of those who may be eligible are in hospital and will have to be medically examined, I estimate that up to a thousand war pensioners may benefit from the new allowance and a similar number of industrial injury pensioners.

My Department will take steps to identify and review all the cases who may be affected by these improvements; no application will be necessary. As the House will appreciate, this process will take some time, but I hope that it will be possible for most of the new awards which depend upon amendment of the Royal Warrant to be made by the end of March. As regards the industrial injuries scheme, legislation will be necessary. I hope to be able to include the necessary provision in legislation which will be coming before the House this Session.

The estimated cost of these improvements is of the order of £½ million in a full year.

Mr. Wood

Would the right hon. Lady add my congratulations to Lord McCorquodale for producing a speedy and obviously very lucid Report upon what I realised, when I asked him to undertake the task, was a very complicated subject? Is the right hon. Lady aware that the alternations which the Committee recommended, and which I am glad to hear she is accepting, so far as they relate to amputations will give general satisfaction? As far as the allowance for the severely disabled pensioner is concerned, can she say whether the industrial injuries legislation will allow these pensions to be paid as early as the Royal Warrant will allow them to be paid, and secondly, where medical examination is necessary, will she ensure that there is back-dating if the medical examination is not completed by the time the Royal Warrant comes into force?

Miss Herbison

I shall certainly convey to Lord McCorquodale what the right hon. Gentleman has said. I think that all of us, on both sides of the House, must be delighted at the speed with which the Committee has worked, on a very difficult matter. On the question of war disablement, the right hon. Gentleman knows that this depends on the Royal Warrant, and we hope to have this cleared by the end of March, to have payment in being. The industrial injuries provision will go into part of a Bill dealing with earnings-related short-term benefits. We hope to have this provision very soon after New Year, so that there will not be a great deal of difference in the payments to either set of men.

Mr. L. M. Lever

I would like to add my thanks to Lord McCorquodale and to thank the Minister for her acceptance of the recommendations contained in the Report. Many Reports have been published in days gone by which the Government have not been able to endorse. I am very glad that the Minister has been able to endorse these recommendations and that so many people will benefit as a result. This Report will be carefully studied by the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association, on whose behalf I speak, and on whose behalf I enlisted the support of nearly 500 Members of this House, drawn from all parties in the House.

Mr. Speaker

No one in the House questions the keen and devoted interest which the hon. Gentleman has shown in the problems of the Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association, but we cannot have long statements at this stage.

Miss Herbison

I think that everyone knows of the great work which my hon. Friend has done, in conjunction with Members from the other side of the House, whose names were on the Motion accepted by my predecessor. I am sure that we are all glad to hear his acceptance of this Report, which the Government are implementing.

Lieut.-Commander Maydon

Can the right hon. Lady answer two questions arising from her statement? Can she say, apart from the new supplementary allowance which she has announced, whether she intends the rough differential between the four principal supplementary allowances at present existing and the disability pension to remain unchanged? Secondly, can she say whether the second point which she has accepted from this Report is going to do away with the doubts and disputes which were so often attached to amputation between the hip joint and the knee?

Miss Herbison

The answer to the first question is "Yes". The answer to the second question is that I hope this will go a very long way to doing away with disputes. The hon. and gallant Gentleman, as a former Minister in my Department, knows how often disputes arose.

Mr. Lubbock

While congratulating Lord McCorquodale on the speed with which he presented his Report and the Minister on her acceptance of the recommendations in it, may I ask the right hon. Lady whether the recommendations fully meet the views put to her by the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association and by the British Legion? Is she aware that the British Legion passed a resolution at its last annual conference drawing attention to the position of people who had been awarded a disability pension of less than 40 per cent., who, I gather, are not included in these proposals?

Miss Herbison

No, those with a disability pension of less than 40 per cent. are not included. I shall be very surprised if the British Legion and B.L.E.S.M.A. do not accept the findings of this Report. They were given every facility to make their case. I think that when hon. Members read the Report they will see not only how sympathetically every point of view was examined, but valid reasons why the Committee made the proposals which it has made.