§ Sir B. FALLEasked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that, as a consequence of the increase in unemployment, the present scale of assessment for invalided ex-service men is not comparable in value to the same assessment when these men were attested and unemployment was not so general; and if he will consider a change in the scale of assessment to meet the legitimate claims of the ex-service invalided pensioners?
§ Mr. F. O. ROBERTSThe award of disability pension is uniformly based solely on the degree of physical disablement, as medically determined, which results from the effects of an injury, ailment or disease assignable to war service. It would be a breach of this principle, which has been consistently upheld by Parliament, and would not generally be in the best interests of pensioners, that the grant or the amount of pension should be determined by the state of the labour market, or by other factors of an economic kind. I am, therefore, unable to recommend a change in the basis of assessment, but I would remind the hon. Member that the scale of payment has been stabilised at a rate which was introduced in 1919 when the cost of living was much higher than at present.