§ 24. Mr. Weetchasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the representations which he has received since 20 October about the report by Dr. Leonard Fagin about unemployment and health in families.
§ Dr. VaughanThe only representations I have received have been two letters from Dr. Fagin referred to in the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Newton earlier today and the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Ennals) on 16 December and copies of one or both of those letters sent to me by two hon. Members.—[Vol. 15, c.161.]
§ 44. Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to publish the result of the study being undertaken at the London School of Economics into the relationship between unemployment and health in families.
§ Dr. VaughanI am aware of two pieces of work at the London School of Economics. The first involves co-operation with the DHSS funded study by economists at Queen Mary college, London, which is looking at the question of the correlation over time between unemployment and morbidity data rather than at the specific issue376W of unemployment and family health. First findings of this research were published in The Lancet on 26 September. Further results will be coming out during 1982.
The second, which is not funded by DHSS, is a review of studies of the relationship between unemployment, morbidity and mortality and the methodological problems they encountered. The results were published in a discussion paper of the Centre for Labour Economics in September 1981. Neither of these pieces of work is specifically concerned with the relationship between unemployment and health in families.
§ 53. Dr. M. S. Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will commission research work on any possible connection between unemployment and mental illness.
§ Dr. VaughanWe have already sponsored work on the relationship between unemployment and health. Some of this—for example Dr. Fagin's study "Unemployment and Health in Families"—touches on aspects of mental health. Work has also been carried out elsewhere. The Department is currently considering the need for further research on the relationship between unemployment and health—including mental health—in the light of work already done or in progress.
§ 36. Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received since 20 October about the report by Dr. Leonard Fagin on unemployment and health in families.
§ Dr. VaughanI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Weetch) earlier today.