§ Mr. George Grantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what further decisions she has made arising from the recommendations of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's Report on Occupational Deafness;
(2) if she will now bring occupational deafness arising in the course of employment in the mining industry into the schedule as an industrial disease; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe initial scheme of benefit for industrial deafness came into operation on 3rd February 1975. Following the recommendation of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, the scheme was limited to what were considered to be the noisiest industrial processes so as to match the number of potential claimants with the technical and medical resources available for diagnosis and assessment. The intention is to extend the scheme to other very noisy processes as soon as resources permit but it is too early yet to say when the scheme can be extended and what additional occupations will be covered.