§ 2. Mr. HARDIEasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the number of cases coming under the Scottish Health Department, where men 1936 are being told by medical opinion that they are only fit for light work, he can give a definition of what constitutes light work; and can he state on what grounds his Department says that a man is fit for work when certified as suffering from mitral stenosis?
§ Under SECRETARY of STATE for SCOTLAND (Sir Godfrey Collins)The cases which the hon. Member has in mind are presumably those of persons who have been examined by the regional medical officers of the Department of Health on the question of their incapacity for work. If and when the opinion is expressed that the persons concerned are only fit for light work the phrase "light work" is used in its ordinary sense, that is, as indicating work not involving physical effort of an arduous nature. With regard to the last part of the question, I am advised that mitral stenosis does not necessarily involve incapacity for all kinds of work.
§ Mr. HARDIEIn those cases which are taken from one doctor to another because there is no agreement between the doctors what recourse has the man got against this conflict of medical opinion?
§ Sir G. COLLINSThe approved society has power to call in the regional medical officer in those cases where one medical officer advises in one sense and another medical officer in another. In these border-line cases there must be a difficulty in coming to the right decision in all cases.
§ Mr. HARDIEBut in cases where you have the procedure which the Secretary of State has described, and doctors still differ, what kind of appeal has the man got?
§ Sir G. COLLINSThe approved society has regard to the interests of the individual.