§ 122 and 123. Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will state the illnesses which are mainly responsible for the high level of lost working days in industry;
(2) if he will state the number of working days lost through illness in each of the last three calendar years for which figures are available.
§ Miss PittI can answer only for the number of days of incapacity recorded among people claiming under the National Insurance Schemes. In the three latest years, running from the first Monday in June, 1954, 1955 and 1956, the totals were 296 million, 295 million and174W 281 million, respectively, of which about 19 million in each year were in respect of claims for injury benefit under the Industrial Injuries Scheme.
The figures exclude illnesses of married women whose current title to sickness benefit has lapsed following an option not to pay national insurance contributions while working. An appreciable number of very short spells of sickness which do not qualify for benefit may also not be recorded.
A detailed analysis for 1955–56 showed that the groups of illnesses contributing the greatest number of days to the total were: bronchitis (27 million), (tuberculosis (21 million), other respiratory diseases (33 million); psychoneurosis and psychoses (25 million); diseases of the circulatory system (30 million); diseases of the digestive system (24 million); arthritis and rheumatism (21 million); and accidents other than industrial accidents attracting injury benefit (16 million).