HC Deb 07 July 1981 vol 8 cc245-6
1. Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will provide more information on the type of sponsorship that is being provided by his Department of the search at Queen Mary college into the correlation between unemployment and mortality and on the research itself.

The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Sir George Young)

The Department has commissioned, under its standard conditions of support for research grants, two researchers at Queen Mary college, London university, to try to replicate the work of Professor Harvey Brenner on the correlation between unemployment and mortality. The project will take one year at an estimated cost of £15,000. I regret that I am unable to say more about the project than in my reply to the hon. Gentleman on 9 June, but it is expected that the results will be available next year and that they will be published.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

In the light of the disturbances last weekend in Southall and Toxteth, will the Minister seek to widen the terms of reference of the research of Dr. Harvey Brenner to include the link in the inner cities between stress, depression and unemployment?

Sir George Young

As the research project is under way, it would not be practicable to change the terms of reference in the way suggested by the hon. Gentleman. As a large number of those responsible for the mindless violence last weekend were under 16, it is difficult to see how unemployment can be a prime issue.

Mr. Jessel

As some people might die from the stress and strain of overwork and worry, might not early retirement save some lives? Is it not dangerous to indulge in sweeping generalisations?

Sir George Young

It is valid to say that, whatever the link between unemployment, stress and mortality may be, there is certainly a link between employment, stress and mortality.

Mrs. Dunwoody

Does not the Minister already have a report by Dr. Leonard Fagin on the effect of unemployment on the health of families? No efforts have been made to make that report public. Is he now suggesting that we must wait another year for another research project?

Sir George Young

That is untrue. My Department took trouble to make available to all the health correspondents of the national dailies the details of Dr. Fagin's study. We also made it clear that health correspondents could have a copy of the report and that we would talk to them if they were interested. A copy was made available to the Chairman of the Social Services Committee. In spite of efforts by the Department to generate media interest, the media did not respond. There is not much that we can do about that.

Mrs. Dunwoody

Why has not the Minister made the same effort to involve Members of Parliament? It is an important report that makes obvious the direct connection between unemployment and ill health. As that will be a continuing problem with the rise in unemployment, why is not the Minister initiating a debate on the Floor of the House?

Sir George Young

We placed a copy of the report in the Library. It is available to all Members of Parliament who wish to read it. I have described the other steps that we took to publicise the findings of the report. If the media do not respond, there is not much that Ministers can do about it.