HC Deb 07 March 1973 vol 852 cc142-3W
Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many medical certificates were issued by general practitioners for those suffering from alcoholism in the last year for which figures are available.

Sir K. Joseph

Information is not available in precisely the form requested. Between June 1970 and June 1971—the latest year for which there are figures—the number of days of certified incapacity attributed to "alcoholism" or "alcoholic psychosis" and recorded for National Insurance purposes was about 100,000. This represented some 1,400 spells of incapacity.