§ Mr. Joelasked the Minister of Health (1) whether he will state for each of the last five years the number of contributors to national health insurance who, on claiming the benefits of such insurance, have been informed that their circumstances did not qualify them to become insured, with the result that they have been unable to obtain pensions;
(2) whether he will state for each of the last five years the numbers of widows who, on claiming the benefit of national health insurance, have been informed that the circumstances of their husbands did not qualify them to become insured, with the result that they are unable to obtain pensions?
§ Mr. ElliotI regret that the information desired by my hon. Friend is not available in my Department, and that the cost, in time and labour, of obtaining it would be so considerable that I should not be justified in incurring it. It would involve the detailed examination of each of some 140,000 cases.