§ Mr. J. Morrisonasked the Minister of Health how many persons are employed by his Department to make house to house inquiries about health conditions; what is the total annual cost of this activity; and what are the qualifications of those engaged.
§ Mr. J. EdwardsI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the monthly Survey of Illness carried out on behalf of my Department by the Social Survey of the Central Office of Information. Each month inquiries are made of a sample of the population by 70 part-time investigators, who are members of the trained staff of the Survey. The work is directed by one re-232W search officer who is a qualified statistician. The approximate annual cost, including salaries, of this regular inquiry is £12,000.