§ Mr. W. HENDERSONasked the Minister of Pensions the conditions under which commutation of pensions is made; for what purposes a pensioner may commute a portion of his pension; whether the applicant has to pass a medical examination; whether commutation is fixed on a lower rate of pension than that provided in the Royal Warrant of 1919; whether the commutation is based on the expectation of life or a limited number of years; and, if so, how many?
Mr. MUIRCommutation of disability pension is subject to the conditions laid down in the Regulations governing the matter, the principles of which are common to the Ministry and the Service Departments. Subject to the reservation of a specified minimum, a pensioner may commute the balance of his pension where commutation is shown clearly to be to his advantage. The applicant has to be certified to be in a good state of health and to have a normal expectation of life. The basis of commutation is the minimum rate of disability pension fixed by the Royal Warrant of 1919, that is, the rates provided by the Royal Warrant of 1918 plus 20 per cent. Commutation is based on the normal expectation of life of Army service pensioners generally, and is calculated according to the table of rates appended to the Commutation Regulations.