HL Deb 14 March 1961 vol 229 cc760-1

2.41 p.m.

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government the number of cases of bronchitis registered as disabled with the Ministry of Labour, the number of these at present in employment, and the number who are in receipt of sickness benefit.]

THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORT-FOLIO (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)

My Lords, in April, 1960, when an analysis of the Register of Disabled Persons was last made, there were 43,404 men and women classified as being disabled on account of bronchitis, bronchi-ectasis and emphyzema. Of these, 5,500 were registered as unemployed, but no information is available as to how many of the balance were in employment, nor how many were in receipt of sickness benefit.

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, I am sorry, I am not quite clear about that Answer. Am I right in thinking that the first figure was the actual number on the Register of Disabled Persons?

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

Yes

LORD TAYLOR

It is quite clear that there are a very large number of chronic bronchiactics who could be employed in sheltered work. Could the Minister draw the attention both of doctors and of patients to the desirability of registering, as this is now perhaps the most common cause of disablement of the industrial worker?

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

My Lords, I think that it is our purpose to do that. As the noble Lord is probably aware, the Minister of Pensions, together with the Minister of Labour and the Health Departments, is instituting an inquiry into the incidence and duration of diseases, of which this is probably the most important.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, having represented in another place a constituency where the incidence of chronic bronchitis is the highest in the country, may I ask the noble Earl if he could tell the House more about the geographical distribution of these cases?

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

No, my Lords, I do not think I could tell the noble Lady anything in particular about the geographical distribution in reply to a question, but that is one of the purposes of the inquiry which is to be started next June.

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, I beg Leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government the number of cases of chronic bronchitis at present in receipt of sickness benefit.]

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

My Lords, medical certificates submitted in support of sickness benefit claims do not normally distinguish chronic from acute bronchitis. Altogether, some 82,000 persons were receiving sickness benefit for bronchitis of some kind on May 30, 1959, the latest date for which figures are available, and at this time of year the number may be higher.

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. I think that it tends to bear out that there are many cases of bronchitis, probably chronic, which are not registered as disabled.

LORD REA

My Lords, could the noble Earl say whether, in the annual figures, the trend is upwards or downwards?

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

No, my Lords, I could not.