§ Mr. SUTTONasked the Minister of Pensions whether the Principal Assistant Secretary has recently been placed in charge of awards; and, if so, what precautions have been taken to avoid erroneous decisions on questions of entitlement by clerical officers in his section who have no knowledge of the work of the awards branch?
Lieut.-Colonel STANLEYThe position of the Principal Assistant Secretary in relation to awards has not been changed, but under him the charge of this branch of the Ministry's work has been assigned to an Assistant Secretary who previously held the post of Deputy Director-General of Awards. The responsible work of the branch will remain in experienced hands. Decisions on entitlement never have been and will not be given by officers of the clerical grade.