§ 4.17 p.m.
§ LORD BOWLESMy Lords, it may be for the convenience of your Lordships if I repeat a Statement made by my right honourable friend the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance in another place. Miss Margaret Herbison said:
§ "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 to-day 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 were 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.
912§ "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 endorse the general structure of compensation under both schemes. They have 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 they emphasised that their 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 their 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. They have, 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 913 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 be 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 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."
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, may I first thank the noble Lord for that Statement? Secondly, may I—and I am sure I speak on behalf of all your Lordships—join in the thanks and appreciations expressed by the noble Lord to my noble friend Lord McCorquodale of Newton and his colleagues for the very detailed work that has been done in this inquiry? I am sure we shall all welcome the two improvements that are made in the Schedules, and the new allowances. But I think that, before we make any further comments, we should like to study the Report, for this is a very detailed and meticulous area of pensions and compensation, and also one which arouses very deep feelings, not only among those who are disabled, but among, for example, the war pensions committees up and down the country. So I feel that we owe it to them to make a full study of the Report before we comment.
§ LORD McCORQUODALE OF NEWTONMy Lords, I am very much 914 obliged to your Lordships, and to those in another place, to whom I have just been listening, for the very kind remarks about the work of my distinguished colleagues and myself in this matter. I would say that we are still more pleased by the Government's ready acceptance of our proposals, which I hope will at least do something further to ease the lot of these most deserving pensioners.
§ LORD BOWLESMy Lords, I am grateful to the two noble Lords for what they have said.