§ Mr. R. YOUNGasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the mother of Pioneer Stanley Spittle, No. 372884, Royal Engineers (Signals), as his dependant, receives an allowance of 5s. per week, that that allowance was granted as a result of an error of the pensions officer in fixing travelling expenses to Liverpool instead of Warrington, close to. his home where he was employed; whether an appeal was considered by the Newton in-Makerfield sub-committee of the local pensions committee, whereby the error was taken into account and a decision arrived at that the allowance should be Us. per week; that the reconsidered decision has not been given effect to; and why the first recommendation was ratified but the second decision not given effect to, seeing 1697W the sub-committee were satisfied that the first recommendation arose out of error re locality in which he was employed?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe original assessment of dependence in this case was 4s. weekly, with which sum the claimant was at the time satisfied. Subsequently an appeal for an increased allowance was made and as the local pension authorities, after reinvestigation, were unable to agree, the claim was forwarded for decision to the Appeals Committee, presided over by the Right Hon. Sir W. H. Dickinson. That committee, with all the facts of the case before them, decided that the assessment should be increased to 5s. weekly, and that amount was paid from the due date. I am not prepared to disturb the finding of the committee.