§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from the national chairman of the Royal British Legion; what reply he is sending; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 15 April 19931]: A letter has been received expressing concerns over the recent introduction into war pensions legislation of a 20 per cent. disablement threshold for claims for noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss, and the new community care arrangements.
A reply has been sent which emphasises that the package on war pensions which included the change on hearing loss claims also included, gains of up to £5 a week for almost 200,000 war disablement pensioners. The Government consider that the concentration of limited resources on the most severely disabled war pensioners is the right way forward.
The reply explains that it is now for local authorities to make sure that they discharge their community care responsibilities effectively. Ministers in the Department of Health have encouraged organisations such as the Royal British Legion to seek discussions with the local authority associations.