§ Dr. Strossasked the Minister of Labour the number of working days lost due to chronic bronchitis for each year since 1951.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI regret that these figures are not available: but I am given to understand that statistics which are available for 1953–54, which do not permit chronic forms of bronchitis to be distinguished, show that in that year bronchitis generally was certified as the cause of incapacity for claimants under the National Insurance scheme for rather more than 25½ million weekdays. This may be taken as an approximate measure of the number of working days lost due to bronchitis during that year.