§ Mr. Arthur Jonesasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if she will state the average number and percentage of persons absent from work per day in October 1965 due to sickness, and compare this figure with the previous year; and what is the reason for the trend shown by these figures.
§ Mr. PentlandI regret that the precise information asked for is not available. I have information only about persons whose sickness is notified to the Department for purposes of claiming benefit and contribution credits under the National Insurance Act. It is estimated that the number of such persons sick on 19th October, 1965, was 1,008,000 which represented about 4.9 per cent. of the total number of persons insured for sickness benefit. The corresponding figures for 20th October, 1964, were 980,000 and 4.8 per cent.
The estimates include a substantial number of persons who had been sick for a long time and who may no longer have been in employment. On the other hand, spells of sickness lasting less than four days do not usually attract benefit and are not normally reported; nor does the Department know about absence from work of people such as married women who have chosen not to be insured for sickness benefit, or of non-industrial civil servants who do not normally claim benefit through the ordinary machinery during the first six months of illness.
24WAnalyses of the causes of incapacity in October are not available and I am unable to say why the load, which fluctuates considerably from time to time was somewhat higher this year compared with last year.