Orders of the Day — Discharged Soldiers (Hospital Treatment)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 May 1945.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Samuel Silverman Mr Samuel Silverman , Nelson and Colne 12:00, 31 May 1945

I am sure that the House will agree that if we remain not altogether satisfied it is not the hon. Member's fault. We would all like to congratulate him on the way he has dealt, at very short notice, so fully and so carefully, with a difficult question, which he knew aroused a good deal of feeling in all quarters of the House. I think I would like to add, not only congratulations on that, but on the general sympathetic attitude that he himself has shown in the way of dealing with the difficulties which we all recognise. If we are not satisfied altogether, it is because we are not altogether satisfied with the decision that has been taken, and I think the principal point is the one that he himself dealt with at some length.

There are two kinds of finality. Obviously, there is the stage at which the doctors can reach a final prognosis in the case—the stage at which they can say that, some day or other, the man will be fit again for active service or that he will never again be fit. That is finality of prognosis, and it is one kind of finality. Then, there is the finality of treatment. The claim that is being made on behalf of the men is surely a reasonable one. It is that, so long as the treatment is not completed, so long as active treatment is still necessary and may well improve the man's condition, so long as that stage continues, he should be treated exactly as he would have been treated if the prognosis were more favourable. In other words, if the doctors say "This man, with careful treatment, will go back to the Army," then the Army pays him his full pay and full allowances, and full dependency treatment. What we say is that, when doctors have come to the conclusion that he will never be fit again for Army service, but may, with treatment, be a good deal better or a little better, then, they should treat him in exactly the same way and not hand him over to the Ministry of Pensions or to industry or civil life, until he is as fit to make a good job of it as he ever will be.

There is no reason why any arbitrary period should be fixed or why the arbitrary period should be eight months, 56 days or any other period. The period during which most of us feel he is entitled to get his pay and allowances, is the period that elapses between the date of his wound and the date on which it can be said "We can do no more for him; we have done our best, and there is nothing more we can do for him." As he is no longer fit for Army service, we say he should now be the responsibility of the Ministry of Pensions—out of hospital and until treatment finishes. That is a reasonable claim to make, and some of us find it difficult to understand why anybody wants to resist it.

I know it is not the hon. Gentleman's fault. I think that most people who have considered this, have found it a little difficult to understand why the War Office makes any difficulty about this at all. Supposing they conceded this claim, who in the world would object? Who would feel aggrieved by it? The Treasury? Surely not. The taxpayer? Would he grudge the extra few thousands or tens of thousands of pounds that would 'be involved? I find it very difficult to believe. I cannot see what harm could be done by doing it, and I cannot see why anyone thinks that it is not just in itself. I cannot see who would be offended or aggrieved by it, and I hope that the War Office may, with all respect to the concessions made already, think about this matter again and see if they cannot make a clean sweep of the thing, so that, while a man is still under treatment for wounds, injuries or illness contracted in the service of the country, he should be paid his pay and allowances and should not be handed over to the Ministry of Pensions until you have done all that you can for him and not before.