§ Mr. FINNEYasked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been called to resolutions of municipal councils asking that where men, who on enlistment into the, Naval, Military, or Air Forces, were passed fit for service, have been discharged and are still suffering from some disability, caused or aggravated by active service, they should continue to receive a pension and not have to apply for Poor Law assistance, and become chargeable to local rates, but their claims to pensions when disputed should be dealt with by Local War Pensions Appeal Tribunals established for the purpose, and that with a view to alleviating cases of hardship there should be closer co-operation between the Local Insurance Committees and Local War Pensions Committees, and Local War Pensions Committees should be allowed increased discretionary power in dealing with border-line cases, and that a town fund should be established for the relief of cases which would otherwise go to the Guardians; and whether he can indicate that the matter will be dealt with on the lines suggested?
§ Major TRYONThe attention of my right hon. Friend has been called to the resolutions referred to. I would ask my hon. Friend's attention to the replies734W given yesterday by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for the Eastern Division of Islington (Mr. Raper), and also to the replies given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for West Bromwich (Mr. F. O. Roberts). Broadly speaking, up to the stage at which the Ministry, after medical examination of the man, often by more than one Medical Board and full consideration of the evidence produced by him in support of his claim, decide that the disability for which he claims pension is neither attributable to nor aggravated by his War service, there is provision for a cash advance in cases of need being made by the Local War Pensions Committee so long as there is any reasonable likelihood that his claim will mature, but once that decision has been reached by the Ministry and an appeal to the Statutory Appeal Tribunal is made, no further payment can be made out of public funds nor would such payment be, in my opinion, justifiable.
I am, however, aware that in certain cases of appeal some time may elapse before a final decision is arrived at, and I recognise fully the importance of minimising the possibility of such delay, especially in those cases where there is actual pecuniary need. It has accordingly been decided to ask the Departmental Committee of Enquiry, which, as my right hon. Friend recently announced, has been appointed to investigate the machinery of pension administration, to make that branch of their subject which is concerned with the claims under Article 9 of the Royal Warrant and procedure on appeal in the case of rejected claims for pension prior to transmission to the tribunal, one of the first objects of inquiry.
735WI do not gather from my hon. Friend's question the nature and composition of the new Local War Pensions Appeal Tribunals which he proposes should be set up, but I would point out that there are already Statutory Appeal Tribunals under the Lord Chancellor which sit locally, and if necessity is shown I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor would be prepared to add to their number. My hon. Friend refers to co-operation between Local Insurance Committees and Local War Pensions Committees. I am glad to be able to assure him that Local Insurance Committees already co-operate in furnishing the necessary evidence in support of claims under a pension.