§ Mr. E. J. Williamsasked the Minister of Pensions whether he will state the number of persons in receipt of disability pensions and the number granted each year to date since the termination of the Great War?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThe number of disability pensioners on 31st March, 1938, was approximately 434,700. Following is the answer to the second part of the question:
First Awards of Disability Pension. Year ended 31st March 1921 … … 103,966 1922 … … 24,228 1923 … … 9,320 1924 … … 5,225 1925 … … 5,648 1926 … … 4,558 1927 … … 2,257 1928 … … 738 1929 … … 428 1930 … … 317 I931 … … 592 1932 … … 369 1933 … … 130 1934 … … 102 1935 … … 87 1936 … … 122 1937 … … 113 1938 … … 120
§ Sir R. Keyesasked the Minister of Pensions whether a pensioner receiving treatment in a military hospital, who was unemployed and receiving unemployment benefit at the time of entering hospital, is eligible for full treatment allowances under Article 6 of the Royal Warrant of 1919; whether a pensioner who was in receipt of Unemployment Assistance Board allowances at the date of admission to hospital is entitled to full treatment allowances; and will he quote the regulation covering this procedure?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThe full allowances provided by Article 6 of the Royal Warrant are designed to compensate for the2738W earnings which the patient has lost in consequence of undergoing a prescribed course of treatment, and may be paid where the man is, at the commencement, found to be no more than temporarily out of employment. In other cases, where this condition is not satisfied and the patient is in receipt of either unemployment benefit or assistance before treatment, supplementary grants are payable which substantially meet the loss of income suffered by their families. Allowances are paid under the terms of Article 6 of the Royal Warrant of December, 1919, supplemented by special authority where necessary.