§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) why an applicant for disablement benefit is required by his regulations to undergo a full and detailed medical examination in cases where the cause of the disablement is apparent;
(2) if he will revise and simplify the statutory regulations which require a full and detailed medical examination of all applicants for disablement benefit.
§ Mr. EnnalsThere are no regulations defining how the independent medical adjudicating authorities are to conduct examinations made in connection with claims for disablement benefit, and my right hon. Friend cannot instruct them about the procedure they should adopt.
The statutory provisions setting out the principles for the assessment of disablement which the medical authorities have to apply require them to identify and take into account not only the disablement arising from all conditions which may be directly attributable to the industrial accident or prescribed industrial disease, but also any other conditions which might make the disablement more severe than in an otherwise normal person. To restrict the examination to the site of any immediately identifiable injury could well lead to conditions, which could attract an enhanced assessment, being overlooked.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many medical examinations of applicants for disablement benefit were made in the year 1968–69; and what was the total cost of these examinations.
16W
§ Mr. EnnalsDuring the year 1968 the number of medical examinations carried out by medical boards and medical appeal tribunals under the Industrial Injuries Act was 369,341, and the total cost of these examinations was about £2,400,000.