HC Deb 04 March 1963 vol 673 cc14-6
31. Mr. Dalyell

asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many times during 1962 a post-mortem revealed that a man, previously examined and found to be void of pneumoconiosis by a Pneumoconiosis Medical Board, had, in fact, the pneumoconiosis disease at death.

The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (Lieut.-Commander S. L. C. Maydon)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Kelley) on 25th February.

Mr. Dalyell

Will the Parliamentary Secretary take steps to ensure that marginal cases are given more benefit of the doubt?

Lieut.-Commander Maydon

I draw the hon. Gentleman's attention to these facts. Despite the recognised difficulties in diagnosing pneumoconiosis in life, of the 2,103 persons who had been examined by a medical board at some time in their lives and who died in 1962, only 34, that is, 1.6 per cent., failed to be diagnosed as pneumoconiotics when they had the disease; 58, or 2.8 per cent. of the total for the year, had only insignificant traces which cannot have contributed to their death; while 57, or 2.7 per cent., had no trace at all although diagnosed as such.

Mr. Dalyell

Does not the Answer accept that there is a margin of error here, and will not the hon. and gallant Gentleman give people the benefit of the doubt?

Lieut.-Commander Maydon

The Answer certainly accepts that there is a margin of error, but if the hon. Gentleman examines the figures which I have given he will see that benefit of the doubt is implied in a considerable number of cases.

Dr. Stross

Will not the Parliamentary Secretary agree, as in part he seems to do, judging by his Answer, that error is possible using the techniques that we use because we know no better ones at present? Is it not quite clear that a wider type of diagnosis is required and that the words "pulmonary disability" should be brought in rather than rely only on X-ray appearances?

Lieut.-Commander Maydon

I note what the hon. Gentleman says, from his great experience in these matters, about doubt in all diagnoses, but the latter part of his supplementary question touches on another matter about which he has a Question later on the Order Paper.