HC Deb 06 July 1923 vol 166 cc795-6W
Sir K. WOOD

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War why pre-War re-enlisted pensioners who served during the Great War, and are eligible for reassessment of their pensions under Army Order 483 of 1921, and the provisions of Article 1,030 (a), Royal Warrant, 1922, have been subjected to a 50 per cent. deduction of their disability pension?

Mr. GWYNNE

The effect of Army Order 483 of 1921 is to give to the pre-War pensioners referred to in the question the benefit, when it is advantageous to them, of the new and improved scale of disability pensions authorised by Army Order 432 of that year. This latter Army Order lays down that a disability pension may consist of three elements,

  1. (a) a disability element,
  2. (b) a service element, and
  3. (c) a rank element;
It indicates how these elements are to be severally assessed, and further provides inter alia, that "the disability and service elements shall not both be drawn in full together; whichever is at any time the larger shall be drawn in full, but only half the other." This arrangement was adopted after the fullest consideration, and is not correctly described as a deduction from disability pension.