§ 53. Mr. Willeyasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will appoint a committee specially to inquire into the different needs and special provisions required for the different categories of disabled persons.
§ Mr. PeakeI am not clear what kind of cases the hon. Member has in mind; there are already a number of advisory committees, and I am not aware of any need to appoint a further one.
§ 54. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance his estimate of the number of pensionable persons suffering equal disability to that of the aged limbless persons on whose behalf the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association submitted a claim on 8th November; and what would be the cost of providing them with equal benefit to that claimed.
§ Brigadier SmythThe numbers of war and industrial pensioners whose disablement is assessed at 40 per cent. or more are at present about 255,000 and 35,000 respectively. The cost of increasing the pensions of these persons by 10s. weekly for 100 per cent. disablement and proportionately smaller amounts for the lower degrees of disablement would be about £4 million in the case of war pensioners, and £½ million for industrial pensioners.