HL Deb 12 November 1997 vol 583 c36WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many medical consultants, as opposed to general medical practitioners, are employed by the Benefits Agency Medical Service to assess medical incapacity for War Pensions' purposes.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham

None. For the purpose of claims for War Pensions, the question of whether disablement is due to or is aggravated by service, and the degree of disablement, are matters for Medical Advisers employed by the War Pensions Agency. The advisers are fully registered medical practitioners, some of whom have postgraduate medical qualifications and are trained to assess any such disablement arising from both physical and mental conditions. In order to make their assessment they call upon a variety of sources of medical evidence, including reports from consultants.