§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his letter ref. POS (3) 3019/18 of 26 January, what reports she has had on scientific evidence relating to noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss. [80586]
§ Mr. Bayley[holding answer 13 April 1999]: When we were elected, we were determined to be satisfied that the Department's approach to the assessment of hearing loss on war pensions was seen to be in line with current scientific understanding. We immediately ordered a review of the scientific evidence behind the Department's approach. The review was conducted by four independent hearing loss experts chaired by the Government's then Chief Medical Officer.
The report of the expert team received in March 1998 confirmed that hearing loss due to noise, such as that 308W experienced in service, does not increase after one is removed from it or as subsequent age-related hearing loss is added to it. These conclusions confirmed that the Department's approach to the assessment of hearing loss under the War Pension Scheme is in line with the current scientific understanding.
The review also recommended that the matter be looked at again in one years time. The Under-Secretary, my noble Friend, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, therefore, asked the war pensions medical policy adviser to report to her by the end of February 1999 on any relevant developments. The report of this further review was placed in the Libraries of House of Commons and the House of Lords on 2 March 1999. It confirms that there is no new scientific evidence to raise a reasonable doubt that noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss progressively deteriorates once a person is removed from the source of the noise which caused it; or that the combination of noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss and subsequent hearing loss due to age is not more than additive.
These are assumptions which have gained general acceptance and have formed the basis of an International Standard which has been in place for nearly 20 years and which have successfully provided the basis for medico-legal work world wide.
The conclusions of this further review again confirm that the Department's current approach to the assessment of hearing loss is in line with current scientific evidence. This in turn, means that War Disablement Pensions cannot be increased in respect of hearing loss due to ageing. They can only be paid for disablement which is due to service.