Defence written question – answered at on 14 December 2005.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what evidence he relied when setting the (a) threshold and (b) other rules that apply to compensation for veterans who have sustained a noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss as a result of their military service; and whether he consulted with any (i) veteran or (ii) disability group.
The Ministry of Defence's approach to the assessment of noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss in the War Pensions Scheme reflects that of the Government as a whole and is based on contemporary scientific evidence and understanding. This has been confirmed in recent years by several reviews carried out by independent audiological experts including an Industrial Injuries Advisory Council review. The Ministry of Defence also routinely scrutinises the published peer reviewed literature to ensure that compensation policy and approaches continue to take account of contemporary evidence.
The threshold for compensation for noise-induced hearing loss was introduced into the War Pensions Scheme in 1993. The Government consulted the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions on this change which formed part of a wider package of changes that included the removal of rank differentials from war disablement pensions and increases in the rate of disablements pensions above the rate of inflation; the most severely disabled other ranks gained most from these increases. The Central Advisory Committee is a statutory body whose role is to consider matters put before it by the Minister. It includes members from the principle ex-service organisations including those representing disabled veterans.
I met Dr. John Low, chief executive of the RNID, on
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