§ 53. Sir I. Fraserasked the Minister of Pensions the number of war disability pensions in issue; and of that number how many pensioners are receiving their basic rate, including the usual rank and family allowances, but excluding supplementary allowances such as constant attendance allowance, unemployability supplement, allowance for lowered standard of occupation and comforts allowance.
Mr. AmoryAbout 687,000 are in in receipt of disablement pensions, including allowances for minor disablement. It is estimated that of these about 610,000 are receiving the basic rate and, where eligible, rank additions and the usual allowances for wife and children, but none of the supplementary allowances.
Of the 77,000 who are receiving supplementary allowances, some 42,000 are getting one or more of the four main allowances to which the hon. Member refers and the vast majority of the remaining 35,000 the allowance for wear and tear of clothing only.
§ 54. Sir I. Fraserasked the Minister of Pensions how many war pensioners are now receiving £9 1s. 6d. a week; what
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§ Mr. J. StuartFollowing is the information requested:
percentage this is of the total number of war pensioners; and if he will give similar information with regard to pensioners receiving £6 3s. a week and £4 8s. a week.
Mr. AmoryAs I told the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond), in a reply on 1st May, I am glad to say that the number of pensioners who are so severely disabled that they receive £9 Is. 6d. or more a week is estimated to be only about 200, excluding officers. This is 03 per cent. of the total number of disablement pensioners, excluding officers.
I regret that information is not available in the precise form asked for in the last part of the Question. It is estimated from a sample test that about 31,000 or 4.8 per cent receive £or more a week; of these about 9,400 (1.5 per cent.) receive £or more a week. These figures also exclude officers and take no account of allowances payable under the Family Allowances Act.
§ 55. Sir I. Fraserasked the Minister of Pensions what amount of pension was paid to an ex-private in 1938 for an amputated leg below middle thigh; what amount of pension would be required to provide a purchasing power equivalent to that 1938 pension; and what is the similar information with regard to the year 1946.
Mr. AmoryThe pension for that disablement in 1938 was 24s. a week, which was higher than the rate appropriate to the cost of living figure at that time. On the basis of the Cost of Living and Retail Prices Index an amount of 41s. 6d. would now be required to provide equivalent 93W value for 24s. If the price index of consumer goods and services is used the figure would be 53s. 3d.
As regards the last part of the Question, the comparable figures are 27s., 36s. and 37s. 11d.