§ Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the Minister of Pensions whether Lieutenant G. A. Elliott, late of the Egyptian Labour Corps, who contracted pulmonary tuberculosis as the result of services outside Egypt during the War, can be granted an appeal to an officers' appeal tribunal, in view of the fact that no medical or pensions board has, up to the present, considered the question of pulmonary tuberculosis, for which he received no medical treatment during his period of military service?
Mr. ROBERTSThe right of appeal is not a matter within my discretion, but is the statutory right of any officer who has a claim under a Warrant administered by me subject to the conditions of Section 8 1479W of the War Pensions Act, 1919. The sole question in this case is whether the officer referred to has a claim, in view of the definition of "Officer" under Article 30 of the Warrant. This question is now being considered and a decision will be arrived at as quickly as possible.
§ Mr. R. MORRISONasked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Richard A. Tuson, of 2, Havelock Road, Tottenham, was discharged on 27th April, 1916, on account of chronic rheumatism aggravated by service and received a pension for five years, which was then stopped by a decision of the tribunal that the disability had passed away; that Tuson has been recently certified by a number of doctors to be still suffering from chronic rheumatism and unfit for work; and whether, under the recent announcement of the extension of arrangements to secure the reconsideration of certain cases rejected by the tribunal, Tuson's case can now be reopened?
Mr. ROBERTSThis man, who served for 58 days, received pension for rheumatism for some 70 weeks from April, 1917. When he was boarded in 1918 no disablement from rheumatism was found, and as the medical boards which examined him in 1919 and 1921 reported in the same terms, the Ministry held that aggravation by service had passed away. That decision was subsequently confirmed by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. From the medical reports on the case, the man would appear to be suffering, not from rheumatism but from a quite different disability, which, however, the Ministry are unable to regard as being connected with his service. The man has a right of appeal to the tribunal against the latter decision, and it is still open to him to take advantage of it up to the 23rd October next.
§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Pensions whether he will investigate the circumstances attending the stoppage of disablement allowance to Mr. George Hanton, of 56, West Ham Lane, Stratford, and permit a fresh appeal, if possible, as the man is still suffering badly from the effects of his war service?
Mr. ROBERTSI am having inquiries made into the facts of this case, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
1480W
§ Mr. A. T. DAVIESasked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been directed to cases of hardship in the assessment of pensions owing to the unsatisfactory definition of the term disability; and whether an inquiry can be set up to provide a definition of disability which shall at once be more elastic and humane?
Mr. ROBERTSI am not clear as to the precise difficulty the hon. Member has in mind. The only official definitions of the terms "disability" or "disablement" are those contained in the Final Awards Regulations, which were approved after prolonged consideration by the Statutory Advisory Committee of the Ministry.