§ Mr. Thurnhamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of working days lost as a result of sickness during the years ended April 1983 and April 1984.
§ Dr. BoysonI regret that this information is not available in the form requested. However, information is collected centrally about days of certified incapacity notified to the Department of Health and Social Security in connection with claims to sickness, invalidity and injury benefits. The latest annual figures available relate to the year ending 2 April 198:3 when the number of such certified days in Great Britain was 370,500,000. If the number of days of incapacity in respect of people whose incapacity lasted throughout the year are excluded, the figure is 171,400,000.