§ 45. Sir H. Harrisonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he can give about awards of war pensions in respect of former Japanese prisoners of war now that their claims are being handled through the Far Eastern Prisoner of War Unit which he has set up; and what progress has been made towards the provision of experts in tropical medicine on the medical boards which advise on the assessment of pensions for Far Eastern prisoners of war.
§ Mr. DeanFrom its inception in May until the end of September the special Far Eastern Prisoner of War Unit dealt with 425 claims of various kinds 294 of which were allowed. This represents a considerably higher proportion of successful claims than that resulting from other claims made during the same period. Arrangements have also now been made for Far Eastern Prisoners of War who so wish to have access to special medical boards, one member of which in each case is a Consultant in Tropical Diseases, in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh.
§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now seek Parliamentary approval for the amendment of Article 5 of the Royal Warrant on War Pensions to make it possible to make awards of pensions in respect of former Japanese prisoners-of-war which are at present disallowed.
§ Mr. DeanIt is not proposed to amend Article 5 of the Royal Warrant which already confers very fair terms for the award of war pensions. I would refer the hon. Member to my reply today to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Eye (Sir H. Harrison).