§ 8. Lord Balnielasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will amend the regulations which disqualify a person from receiving sickness benefit whilst abroad so that persons who are chronic invalids and in receipt of sickness benefit shall not be deprived of such benefit if they take a limited holiday abroad on the advice of their doctor.
§ Mr. WoodThe regulations already allow such people to go on receiving their benefit if they are abroad temporarily in order to be treated for their disability.
§ Lord BalnielI thank my right hon. Friend for that Answer. Would not he agree that it seems rather hard that a person who is chronically sick and in receipt of sickness benefit, who saves up and takes a very limited holiday abroad on the advice of his doctor for the general interest of his health and not for specific treatment, when he has the honesty to declare this fact to the local Ministry of Pensions office should be stopped from receiving his sickness benefit? Will my right hon. Friend look at this matter again?
§ Mr. WoodI will continue to look at this matter. It is a difficult problem, as my hon. Friend knows, because clearly the incapacity from illness which can be checked and controlled if a person remains in this country is more difficult to check and control if he is abroad. However, I will look at what my hon. Friend said.
§ Mr. ManuelThe hon. Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel) was talking about a limited period. Can the Minister indicate how many times the individual is examined? Would not many of the cases instanced by the hon. Member he within the period when normal examinations take place and on which there would be no check?
§ Mr. WoodWhen people are in this country, we obviously have the facilities to check incapacity for work.
§ Mr. ManuelHow often?
§ Mr. WoodIt is done in a great many cases. If the hon. Member will put a 9 Question down, I will give him the exact figure. But there are problems here, and I will certainly continue to look into them.