§ 23 and 24. Mr. T. Brownasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) to state, in tabular form, the number of claims made, the number of claims allowed, and the number of claims disallowed for disablement benefits; the number of claims made for death benefits, the number of claims allowed, the number disallowed; the amount of money paid out to each case during the period from 10th March, 1952, up to and including 31st January, 1956, under the pneumoconiosis and byssinosis scheme, which became operative on 10th March, 1952; and the total amount of benefits paid out;
(2) the number of claims made, the number of claims allowed, the number of claims disallowed under the Pneumoconiosis and Byssinosis Scheme, 1954, which became operative on 8th November, 1954, up to and including 31st January, 1956.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs the Answer is long and complicated, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. BrownI was quite sure that that would be the Answer, but has the Minister or his Department been made aware of the disquiet and dissatisfaction now prevailing in the mining areas with regard to the actions of the silicosis boards? Does he know that many men who get a general practitioner's report, fortified by an X-ray photograph from the local hospital, to the effect that they are suspected to be suffering from silicosis or pneumoconiosis, are nevertheless turned down flat when they go before the silicosis boards and that that is causing grave discontent in the mining areas?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI know that this is a matter of very great importance in the mining areas, and I will happily look into any particular case which the hon. Gentleman may be good enough to draw to my attention. On his general proposition, I shall certainly bear in mind what he has said, but he cannot expect me to agree to any general criticism of these boards, which try to do a good job to the best of their ability.
§ Following is the Answer:
| PNEUMOCONIOSIS AND BYSSINOSIS BENEFIT SCHEME | ||||
| (1) Number of claims analysed by result | ||||
| Disablement claims | ||||
| Up to 7th November, 1954, when the Scheme was extended to include cases of partial disablement, 11,361 claims to disablement allowances were made; as a result 3,808 awards had been made, 7,006 claims had been disallowed and 547 claims were outstanding on 7th November, 1954. The figures for each year were: | ||||
| 1952 (from 10th March) | 1953 | 1954 (up to 7th November) | Total | |
| Claims received | 5,586(a) | 3,587 | 2,188 | 11,361(a) |
| Claims allowed | 2,179(a) | 1,148 | 481 | 3,808(a) |
| Claims disallowed | 2,153 | 2,850 | 2,003 | 7,006 |
| Claims outstanding at end of period | 1,254 | 843 | 547 | 547 |
| (a) Includes 803 existing beneficiaries taken over from the former benefit schemes. |
| Between 8th November, 1954, and 28th January, 1956, 10,795 claims were made on top of the 547 claims which were outstanding on 8th November, 1954. As a result of these 11,342 claims, 4,577 awards had been made for partial disablement and 507 for total disablement. 5,142 claims had been disallowed and 1,116 were outstanding on 28th January, 1956. | ||||||
| Death claims up to 28th January, 1956 | ||||||
| —— | 1952 (from 10th March) | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 (up to 28th January) | Total |
| Claims received | 860 | 582 | 587 | 718 | 84 | 2,831 |
| Claims allowed | 458 | 399 | 367 | 394 | 29 | 1,647 |
| Claims disallowed | 237 | 239 | 230 | 299 | 28 | 1,033 |
| Claims outstanding at end of period | 165 | 109 | 99 | 124 | 151 | 151 |
| (2) Amounts paid to the latest available date | |||||
| Class of case | Period 10th March, 1952 to 31st March, 1952 | Financial year 1952–53 | Financial year 1953–54 | Financial year 1954–55 (provisional) | Period 10th March, 1952 to 31st March, 1955 |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Disablement allow ances | 5,000 | 275,034 | 300,364 | 375,000 | 955,398 |
| Death benefit | — | 114,966 | 94,636 | 86,645 | 296,247 |
| Total | 5,000 | 390,000 | 395,000 | 461,645 | 1,251,645 |
25. Mr. B. Taylorasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he will state the number of cases referred to the pneumoconiosis boards in 1954 not diagnosed as being disabled by pneumoconiosis but suffering from emphysema.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThese figures will take a little time to collect, but when this has been done I will write to the hon. Member. I should, however, warn him that as the object of these boards is the 1328 diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, the figures which I send will not cover all cases in which emphysema is present.