§ Mr. Frank R. Whiteasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidelines his Department has given to employers regarding the introduction of self-certification for sickness and in particular, on certification 63W from the eighth day onwards and the procedures to be adopted for the accountability of payment from the fourth to the seventh day of sickness when the certificate Med 3 is withdrawn.
§ Mr. RossiFrom 14 June general practitioners will no longer be required to issue a doctor's statement—Med 3—where illness lasts less than a week. The position regarding certification for longer periods of illness remain unchanged. People wishing to claim State incapacity benefit will have to complete a new sickness benefit claim form, which includes space for the claimant to self-certify.
Employers who in the past have relied in seeing a Med 3 as proof of incapacity will have to change their arrangements. It would be inappropriate for the Department to offer advice to employers on what is essentially a matter for them.
Subject to self-certification operating satisfactorily in the national insurance scheme it is intended that the arrangements will continue after the introduction of statutory sick pay from April 1983. Guidance for employers on the acceptance of incapacity for statutory sick pay purposes and on the control of sickness absence will be contained in the employers' guide. This will be published as soon as possible after the Social Security and Housing Benefits Bill receives Royal Assent.