§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will take steps to ensure that war pensioners have rights of appeal to independent tribunals, comparable with those of social security claimants.
§ Mr. ScottMost pensioners already have a right of appeal to an independent Pensions Appeals Tribunal 491W against decisions about their entitlement to war pension and their level of assessment. If they are dissatisfied with a decision about which there is no statutory right of appeal, they may ask at any time for it to be reviewed by the Secretary of State and can ask their local war pensions committee to make representations on their behalf. War pensions committees are statutorily empowered to hear and consider such complaints and to make representations to the Secretary of State. I am satisfied that these longstanding arrangements operate satisfactorily to safeguard the interests of war pensioners.