Dr. DAVIESasked the Minister of Labour if she proposes, when introducing legislation to ratify the draft convention limiting the hours of work in industrial undertakings to eight in the day and 48 in the week, adopted at Washington on 28th November, 1919, to give effect at the same time to the recommendation concerning the establishment of Government health services adopted on the same date?
§ Mr. SHORTI have been asked to reply to this question. The recommendation to which my hon. Friend refers was, I understand, intended to secure the establishment of a medical branch in connection with factory inspection. It was duly considered by the Government in 1920 on a report from the official delegate
254WBritain during the period of 17 weeks from 9th September, 1929, to 6th January, 1930, was as follows:
Number of cases considered 120,136 Number recommended for:— Allowance 53,879 Disallowance 66,257 The courts of referees, save in "review" cases, deal only with appeals from the initial decisions of the insurance officer, and the figures with regard to the cases so dealt with are not comparable with those for the boards of assessors. The figures which illustrate on a com-parable basis the working of the boards of assessors procedure are those for the initial disallowance of benefit by insurance officers. These are given below, together with figures for courts of referees:
at the Washington Conference, and the view was formed that, as effect was already given in this country to the intention of the recommendation, no action by the British Government appeared to be called for. In this view His Majesty's Government concur.