§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has for a full medical and scientific review of the qualification for war pensions in respect of noise-induced hearing loss; when the review will begin; and how long the review is expected to take. [1632]
§ Mr. DenhamOn 23 May the Minister with special responsibility for war pensions, my noble Friend the Baroness Hollis of Heigham, wrote to Mr. Graham Downing, national president of the Royal British Legion. She informed him that she would be arranging a meeting of experts in the field of hearing loss to review the scientific basis of the approach to the assessment of noise induced sensorineural hearing loss in war pensions. My266W noble friend will invite Professors Lutman and Davis to take part along with other independent experts who have not been involved in the matter so far.
The timing of the meeting will depend on the availability of the participants. My noble Friend will shortly be writing to the experts to invite their participation and to establish when they are free to meet.
We are aware of the controversy surrounding this issue and are determined to be satisfied that the medical evidence is clear and unambiguous and that decisions are made in accordance with war pensions legislation. I would hope that the review will be able to come to a speedy conclusion.