§ Lord HALEMy 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 what are the "Other Industries" in respect of which figures of deaths from byssinosis are given on Table 6, page 9, of the Department of Energy's Digest of Pneumoconiosis Statistics 1973; whether these figures include cases of asbestosis and byssinosis, and what medical advise has been received on the diminished length of life of those so listed.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, the table referred to gives the number of deaths from pneumoconiosis resulting in the award of industrial death benefits, and includes asbestosis but not byssinosis. With permission, I will circulate the full list of "Other Industries" in the Official Report. All the deaths listed have been adjudged to be due to or 1709 materially accelerated by pneumoconiosis, though in many cases the reduction of lifespan will have been small. In 1973, 40 per cent. of the deaths occurred in the age group 65–74 and 8 per cent. in the age group 75 and over.
§ Lord HALEMy Lords, with respect, and while thanking my noble friend for that partial Answer, I should have thought that the figures were such that messengers of Æsculapius would have now been carrying the news from village to village. The first figures, in 1968, showed that in other industries the applicants who have lived to be over 65 are about 25 per cent. (in adjusted proportion) of the applicants in the motor industries. This exemplifies the proposition already accepted in Switzerland that asbestosis is a particularly dangerous disease and has the effect of shortening life. Will my noble friend look at the figures in 1968 and 1973 in his own Table, since he seems not to have realised that in mining and quarrying the death rate of applicants living to be over the age of 75 was 24 per cent. and in the other industries 5½ per cent.? Is this not a massive difference which ought to have resulted in action and research?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, if my noble friend is referring to asbestosis, then the situation as I understand it is that the figures are not available on exactly the same basis as the digest Table. This is my information. But I will take note of what my noble friend has said and look into it. In 1974, the first year for which information is available, about 75 deaths were accepted as due to or materially accelerated by asbestosis.
§ Lord DAVIES OF LEEKMy Lords, does my noble friend consider this an appropriate moment to pay a small tribute to the technicians of the Coal Board, for their efforts in limiting the avariciousness of modern mechanisms in relation to coaldust underground in the battle against the terrible disease of pneumoconiosis, and will he inform them that many of us watch with interest the progress of their technicians' effort in this battle?
Lord WELLSPESTELLMy Lords, I am sure that the National Coal Board 1710 will read with some gratification what my noble friend has said.
§ The table referred to is as follows:
§ " Awards in 1973 of industrial death benefit under the Industrial Injuries Acts in respect of pneumoconiosis in "Other Industries" analysed according to the Standard Industrial Classification.
| Food, drink and tobacco | 1 |
| Coal and petroleum products | 1 |
| Chemical and allied industries | 2 |
| Metal manufacture | 21 |
| Mechanical engineering | 5 |
| Electrical engineering | 4 |
| Shipbuilding and marine engineering | 25 |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Metal goods | 4 |
| Textiles | 28 |
| Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc. | 30 |
| Construction | 7 |
| Gas, electricity, water | 7 |
| Transport and Communication | 5 |
| Distributive trades | 3 |
| Miscellaneous services | 1 |
| Public administration and defence | 1 |
| Total | 146 |
§ A corresponding analysis is not available for the 14 awards under the Old Cases and Workmen's Compensation Acts."