Major JOHN EDWARDSasked the Pensions Minister whether he is aware of the great dissatisfaction which exists amongst discharged and disabled officers and men with the authority which exists at the Ministry of Pensions to review the awards of medical boards, seeing that this authority has to rely on reports only and does not medically survey the disability of these soldiers; whether he will state how many awards by medical boards have been increased by this reviewing authority and how many awards recommended by medical boards have been decreased; and whether, in order to remove the suspicion which exists amongst our disabled soldiers that this authority invariably decreases the awards of medical boards, he will take steps to ensure that no award of a medical board in future is decreased without the officer or man concerned being seen and medically surveyed by this reviewing authority?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI explained to my hon. and gallant Friend on the 20th instant the reasons underlying the present system of reviewing the reports of medical board, and I do not think that any alteration of the system is practicable at the present time. I cannot state how many awards have been increased or how many decreased, but from recent tests which have been made it appears that in the majority of men's cases the amendment is in favour of the man, and in officers' cases over two-thirds of the awards were either confirmed or increased.