§ Mr. W. THORNEasked the Minister of Health whether he has any information regarding the health of the unemployed men and women who have been out of employment for a lengthy period; and whether the percentage of illness of such men and women is higher than those persons regularly employed?
§ Mr. WHEATLEYThe expenditure by approved societies on sickness benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts affords some indication of the amount of sickness of all kinds amongst the insured population of the country, but the material in their possession does not make it possible to state whether the percentage of sickness is higher in the case of persons who have been out of employment for a lengthy period than in the case of persons regularly employed. Taking the insured population as a whole, there is no evidence that the prevalence of unemployment has adversely affected the claims for benefit under the Acts.