Viscountess ASTORasked the Treasurer of the Household whether, if it has been decided that it is impossible to afford every appellant to the Lord Chancellor's Pensions Appeal Tribunal who desires it legal or other assistance in the presentation of appeals, this assistance can be 1699W afforded to those appellants deserving of especial consideration, such as widows and dependants of deceased men or wives and relatives of those ex-service men the nature of whose disabilities renders them themselves unfit to plead?
§ Colonel GIBBSBy the Regulations made by the Lord Chancellor under the War Pensions (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1919, it is ordered that the tribunal shall assist any appellant who, through ignorance or otherwise, is unable to make the best of his case. The tribunals are further instructed to be careful to bring out every point in favour of an appellant which may have been overlooked by him or her, and the chairmen are instructed to grant adjournments if they think that by so doing evidence may be obtained which will assist the appellant. It is the duty of the local officials of the Ministry of Pensions to advise appellants in the preparation of their cases and to inform them that, if they so desire, they may secure the assistance of a member of the War Pensions Committee or other person in connection with the appeal. After careful consideration, it is thought to be undesirable in the interests of appellants that legal or other paid assistance should be provided by the State, which might involve the necessity of professional representation on the other side and which would thus tend to destroy the informality of the present procedure of the tribunals. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. T. Thomson) on the 15th March and to the hon. Member for the Frome Division (Mr. Hurd) on 7th December.