§ Colonel DAYasked the Minister of Pensions what is the amount payable as treatment allowances in the case of a pensioner in hospital who has a wife and two children; and under what authority a de- 1570W pendant's pension drawn by a mother for the loss of a son in the War is deducted from treatment allowances?
§ Major TRYONAssuming the pensioner was an ex-private, the normal treatment allowances payable in the case referred to for the man and his family would be 54s. 6d. per week, over and above the cost of the pensioner's own maintenance, which is borne by the Ministry. Treatment allowances are payable under the authority, and subject to the conditions determined under Article 6 of the Royal Warrant, and are "in lieu of any pension and allowances." The adjustment in respect of dependants' pension is made under that authority.
§ Mr. HARMSWORTHasked the Minister of Pensions whether the Ministry accept responsibility for payment of treatment allowance to any person who receives instructions from a local representative of the Ministry to obtain medical treatment; whether he is aware that Mr. E. Goreing, of 60, Winstanley Crescent, Ramsgate, an ex-service man, was so instructed; whether he will state the view taken by the Ministry of the certificate of the medical practitioner who attended Mr. Goreing for two consecutive periods of a fortnight each, and why the Ministry differentiate between those two periods by granting treatment allowance in respect of one and not of the other; and whether he will arrange for payment to Mr. Goreing of treatment allowance for the unpaid period?
§ Major TRYONThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Certification for the purpose of the grant of allowances during treatment is the responsibility, subject to the Regulations of the Ministry, of medical officers appointed by the Ministry for the purpose, in accordance with the terms of the Warrant. With regard to the case of Mr. Goreing, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave him on the same case on the 18th June, and I would point out that the fact that, as a result of the examination and fuller consideration of the case by a specialist, it was found that the circumstances of the case did not justify the payment of allowances clearly precludes the adoption of the course suggested in the last part of the question.