Annex 4
Letter to Baroness Park of Monmouth from
the Acting Chief Executive, War Pensions Agency, 13 May 1998
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary
Questions about ex-servicemen who served in the Gulf conflict.
You have asked about the referral of some Gulf
War veterans for medical reports to doctors who are also acting
as expert witnesses for the Treasury Solicitor.
Some 10,000 medical reports from consultants
are requested yearly to provide evidence for War Pension determination.
Where the case is particularly complex or there is a conflict
of medical opinion, reports are commissioned from Regional Consultants
who have particular experience and expertise in their field. When
a case is referred to a Consultant or Regional Consultant a report
based on impartial medical opinion, taking into account the documented
evidence, is clearly requested. A fee is paid for each Consultant
or Regional Consultant report but there is no retainer or appointment
fee.
Other Government Departments including Her Majesty's
Treasury may also on occasion obtain Consultant opinion. No information
is recorded by the War Pensions Agency, the Treasury or Ministry
of Defence as to whether an individual Consultant also provides
opinions for other Government Departments nor is such information
shared between Departments. Any connection a Consultant may have
with other Departments is therefore coincidental.
It is possible that the same Consultant may
be asked to give an opinion on the same case by more than one
Department. It is then for the doctor to consider, as a matter
of professional judgement, whether there is a conflict of interest.
The Consultant is free at any time to decline a request from the
Agency or indeed from anyone else to prepare a report. I hope
this will reassure you that there is no breach of independent
assessment.
You have also asked whether the War Pensions
Agency has refused to accept the diagnosis of experts when Gulf
War veterans apply for a War Pension. I can assure you that neither
Group Captain Coker nor Colonel Bhatt has ever made a diagnosis
"Gulf War Syndrome" in a War Pension case. This is because
so far extensive international research has failed to identify
a specific "Gulf War Syndrome".
It is however, acknowledged that illness has
occurred in relation to Gulf service. War Pension is paid not
for specific diagnoses but for any disablement which is causally
related to service within the legislation relevant to the claim.
Where a claim is accepted all service related disablement is assessed
and certified forming the basis for the award. The success rate
for Gulf-related claims is high although, since certification
in War Pensions must reflect current medical understanding, the
description "Gulf War Syndrome" is not used for the
accepted condition.
As I have said, the War Pensions Agency currently
obtains some 10,000 Consultant reports per year for claims determination.
For particularly complex cases, Regional Consultants who are appointed
by the Chief Medical Adviser, Department of Social Security on
the basis of experience and expertise in their field, provide
reports.
At present there are 412 Regional Consultants
representing the spectrum of medical specialities. The Regional
Consultant list is routinely reviewed to take account of retrial
or resignation. When this happens replacement Consultants are
appointed as soon as possible. Beyond this the present number
and speciality range of Regional Consultants are such that there
are no plans for increase in their number.
I hope you find my reply helpful.
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