§ 42. Mr. George Thomasasked the Minister of National Insurance what steps he is taking to reduce the period of waiting for the payment of sickness benefit in Cardiff.
§ Mr. SteeleOwing to the increased volume of claims in January work fell slightly into arrear in some offices in Cardiff. Steps were taken to deal with the situation which I am informed has now much improved.
§ Mr. ThomasCan my hon. Friend give any reasonable assurance that there will not be a period of several weeks of waiting in future for sickness benefit?
§ Mr. SteeleAs I have already indicated, there was a large increase in sickness in Cardiff during certain weeks in January. I am assured that steps have been taken to strengthen the staff in particular offices to cover that point.