§ 73. Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to extend benefit to people whose pre-existing conditions had remained dormant until precipitated by an industrial accident or disease; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanIt is already the position that where an industrial accident or disease accelerates the onset of or aggravates a disability arising from a pre-existing condition, the disablement due to such acceleration or aggravation is taken into account for the purpose of benefit under the Industrial Injuries Act to the extent to which the adjudicating authority considers that the condition would not have been disabling but for the accident.
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§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will require notices on industrial injury benefit to be displayed in all places of work and in doctors' surgeries to ensure that people are made fully aware of their right to claim benefit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanWe consider that the existing arrangements for bringing the benefits of the Industrial Injuries Scheme to the notice of potential claimants are adequate without placing these requirements on employers and doctors. Medical certificates make provision for claiming that incapacity is due to an industrial injury or prescribed disease and the Department's local offices issue claim forms and leaflets as appropriate where it appears that there may be title to the disablement benefits of the Industrial Injuries Scheme. Posters have been issued to employers with large numbers of employees in the past and these are still available on application.
§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to abolish the six-day time limit for filing claims for industrial injury benefit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DeanAs a consequence of the National Insurance Act, 1966, the time limits for claiming industrial injury benefit were brought into line with those for sickness benefit and are now 21 days where there has been no previous claim for sickness or injury benefit, six days where the claim is not an original claim but is the first in a period of incapacity for work and 10 days for any continuation claim. As all these limits can be extended where the claimant proves that there was reasonable cause for his failure to claim within the prescribed time we consider them to be entirely adequate.