§ Captain BOWYERasked the Minister of Pensions (1) on what grounds the assessment of the pension of Mr. F. R. Adams, late No. 23646, Lance-corporal, Bedfordshire Regiment, was reduced on the 27th April from 40 per cent, to 30 per cent, by the medical board at Chelsea; is he aware that this is the second reduction that has taken place within the last three months, in spite of the fact that Mr. Adams' leg was so badly wounded as to have been pronounced incurable; and how does he justify the action of the medical board;
1367W(2) whether he will inquire into the case of Private W. T. May, No. 02047S, Royal Army Service Corps (Mechanical Transport); is he aware that this man, after having had 100 per cent, disability pension, had his pension cut down first by 30 per cent., and then by 40 per cent, on appeal, within one month; that he has had to put four of his six children in Dr. Barnardo's Home; and will he cause local inquiries to be made as to how far Mr. May is unable to follow his trade through the effects of his war service?
§ Major TRYONLarge sums of money have been and are being devoted by the Ministry to the provision of the best medical and surgical treatment for those disabled by war service; and, I am glad to say, with good results. Improvement in the man's condition is the sole consideration which influences medical boards to reduce a previous assessment. In the particular cases mentioned the men elected to appeal to medical appeal boards against assessments made by survey boards, being fully aware that the appeal boards could lower as well as raise the assessments and that their findings would be binding for the periods of the current awards. The suggestion in the last part of the question about Mr. May is quite opposed to the principle, approved by this House, that such factors as occupation or earning capacity should be disregarded in arriving at an assessment for disablement pension.