§ Mr. J. Lewisasked the Minister of National Insurance if he will made a statement on a case submitted to him by the hon. Member for Bolton, which he has recently considered, in which a man contracted a disease in 1941 which, due to its slow development, was not diagnosed until 1947; and, in view of the fact that he is debarred from claiming, both under the Workmen's Compensation Act and under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act, if he will state his intention in this and similar cases.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsI have had some correspondence with my hon. Friend about this case, in which the man's claim under the Workmen's Compensation Acts was barred by lapse of time and he was unable to claim under the Industrial Injuries Act as he had not been employed since July, 1948. The particular difficulty will not arise where the man has been employed after that date in a prescribed process as there are no similar time limits in the new scheme. But as regards disabilities arising out of employment before that day, although I am considering whether men entitled to payments of Workmen's Compensation in respect of such disabilities can be brought within the provisions of the new scheme, I see no possibility of including men whose claims under the Workmen's Compensation Acts are time barred.