§ Mr. A. BENNETTasked the Minister of Pensions (1) if he will state the various categories in which were placed on enlistment the 700 insane ex-service men for whom the State accepts no responsibility, and also the number of these cases in respect of which any tendency to insanity or epilepsy prior to enlistment was subsequently established by official inquiries;
(2) if, taking the 700 insane ex-service men for whom the State accepts no responsibility, he will state how many served six months, one year, 18 months, two years, and over, respectively; and what was the number of them who enlisted voluntarily, without coming under the Conscription Acts?
§ Major TRYONWith the hon. Member's permission, I will take this question and No. 15 together. I regret that the information asked for is not available, and could not be obtained without a detailed examination involving additional work, which could not be justified.
§ Mr. BENNETTasked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been 726W called to a Resolution passed by the Nottingham Guardians expressing regret that the Government did not see fit to provide accommodation of a more fitting character for ex-service men whose mental breakdown had been entailed through their war sufferings; whether he is aware that this resolution was based on the detention of ex-service men in the Nottingham City Asylum; how many of them are there in the institution; and whether they form part of those 700 men for whose condition the State accepts no responsibility?
§ Major TRYONI have not seen the resolution mentioned. I find, however, from a recent report by a medical inspector of the Ministry, that the 40 service patients in the Nottingham City Asylum, the cost of whose treatment and maintenance is borne by my Department, are well treated and well cared for in that institution. So far as I am aware, there are only two patients now in that asylum for whom the responsibility of my Department terminated last September as expressly provided in the Royal Warrant.