§ Mr. LOOKERasked the Minister of Pensions (1) how many pensioners have been deprived of the compensation given them by a final award owing to the appeal tribunal subsequently awarding nil disablement;
(2) whether his attention has been drawn to the wording of the notice issued to pensioners of their right to appeal to the final appeal tribunal from the decision of a final award, and to the fact that there is nothing in that wording from which the pensioner can reasonably gather that any compensation granted him by the final award from which he is appealing may be entirely taken away from him by the decision of the appeal tribunal; and will he look into the matter?
Lieut.-Colonel STANLEYMy right hon. Friend's attention has not been drawn to this matter otherwise than by the hon. Member himself, and, as he has been informed, there does not appear to be any ground for complaint. Under the Regulations a final award may be at any rate of disablement from "nil" to 100 per cent.; and a tribunal which, acting under its statutory powers, changes a final award made at some other rate to one of "nil" is therefore only reducing the award. The notice sent to the appellant warns him of this power of a 1631W tribunal, on appeal, to reduce a final award. I regret that I am unable to state the number of cases of the kind referred to, but I understand that they are not numerous.