§ Sir L. LYLEasked the Minister of Pensions whether he is holding out any hope to pensioners who through ignorance have lost the right to appeal against a final award that their appeals will none the less be considered; whether any instructions have been issued to that 1900W effect to officials; and whether the Pensions Appeal Tribunal is adopting any line of policy on such instructions?
Mr. J. W. MUIRI would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on the 17th instant to the hon. Member for East Bristol (Mr. Baker) on the same subject. That answer, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, sets out fully the position of the Ministry in this matter. It has been the desire of my right hon. Friend to avoid conveying to pensioners any hope that was not likely to be fulfilled, and he has recently caused instructions to be issued which will make the position clearer to would-be appellants.
The appeal tribunals are not under my right hon. Friend's jurisdiction, and any question as to their policy in dealing with this matter should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Attorney-General.