§ Mr. SUNLIGHTasked the Minister of Pensions why ex-Private Samuel Roberts, No. 597,702, Labour Corps (6/MR/5,054), has not been granted a further pension, seeing that his appeal to the House of Lords Appeal Tribunal, against the decision of the Ministry that his disability was too small to assess, was allowed, and also seeing that he has been certified by two local Shrewsbury doctors as being totally unfit to follow his employment?
Mr. ROBERTSSince the Tribunal's decision, this man has been examined by two medical boards (both of which included specialists), but neither board found any disablement from the accepted disability. I propose, however, to arrange for his admission to hospital with a view to further medical consideration of his case.
§ Mr. HINDLEasked the Minister of Pensions if he will direct a Return to be made of the number of cases in the North-Western regional area during the last 12 months where the medical disability of the pensioner has been reduced from valvular disease of the heart to dis- 2346W ordered action of the heart, with consequent reduction of pension; and the number of appeals from such reductions and the proportion thereof which were successful?
Mr. ROBERTSI regret that this information is not available, and could not be obtained without an examination of all the individual files, thus seriously impeding the normal work of the awards branch of the region. In view of this fact and of the additional labour and expense involved, I am not at present prepared to undertake the task. I may perhaps explain that a change of diagnosis is never made without the opinion of a specialist on the case.