§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give the figures for deaths in the United Kingdom from occupational disease and the numbers of doctors employed in the employment medical advisory service for each year since 1980.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe available figures for deaths due to asbestosis, mesothelioma and other industrial diseases, and for doctors in the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) employment medical advisory service, are given in the table:
Deaths from occupational diseases, and doctors employed in HSE's employment medical advisory service in Great Britain Year Asbestosis Mesothelioma Other diseases Doctors 1980 102 458 697 71.5 1981 137 472 633 75.0 1982 128 504 624 64.0 1983 121 573 655 65.0 1984 129 624 531 62.5 1985 140 615 587 62.0 1986 166 702 524 60.0 1987 144 808 484 55.5 1988 152 862 — 46.5 1989 157 900 — 45.0 1990 163 882 — 46.0 1991 — — — 47.0 1992 — — — 52.0 Note: as at 1 April.
For asbestosis and mesothelioma, the numbers are of 214W death certificates mentioning these conditions. An estimated 100 mesotheliomas annually are not asbestos related. For other diseases, the numbers are for awards of death benefit under the industrial injuries scheme up to the discontinuation of this benefit in April 1988. These figures exclude asbestos-related lung cancers, which are estimated to be about twice as numerous as mesotheliomas.