Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 May 1945.
Being only a new-comer to the War Office, I am afraid I cannot give a positive reply on that point. Anything raised on the course of this Debate will be carefully considered. I am not saying that in the ordinary official sense. I mean that it will be carefully considered. In the course of my short experience, when things have been put up, they have been carefully considered, very often with extremely satisfactory results to the man in question.
In the light of what I have now stated about the treatment of tuberculosis and these other complaints, could I state again, rather more fully, the question which all three Service Departments—not only the War Office—have to consider? They have to make up their mind on a very difficult matter. Very often the question is whether Service personnel who are so severely wounded or incapacitated by illness that they cannot recover and be fit for active service for a period of some months, should nevertheless continue to receive full Service pay and allowances for periods longer than at present provided by the Regulations, so long as they remain in the Service hospital or Ministry of Pensions hospital. That is the main point we are discussing to-night. In the great majority of cases, I am informed that finality is reached in the matter of a comparatively few weeks or months, that is, they know whether the man is going to be fit enough to go back to active service or not. He then has a medical board. If he is found to be no longer fit to return to the Service he is discharged after a period of 56 days, and in place of his Service emoluments he passes to the appropriate rate of disablement pension, that is to say, he is handed over to the Ministry of Pensions. As hon. Members are aware pensions are laid down in the Royal Warrant and are administered by my right hon. Friend.