§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is yet in a position to make a statement on the report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council about pneumoconiosis and byssinosis.
§ Sir K. JosephI have completed my consideration of the council's report on its review of the medical, legal and administrative aspects of compensation for pneumoconiosis under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act and of certain questions relating to byssinosis. I should like to record my appreciation of the very comprehensive nature of its report. Arrangements have been made for the report to be published as a Command Paper on Tuesday next.
The main recommendations made by the report are as follows:
- (1) the statutory definition of pneumoconiosis to be amended to accord with current medical knowledge of the changes that constitute the disease—the report emphasises that this recommendation does not imply any variation in the current standards of the pneumoconiosis medical panels for diagnosis of the disease;
315 - (2) no changes to be made in the present provisions for taking into account disablement due to other respiratory conditions found in the presence of pneumoconiosis in assessing the extent of disablement due to the disease;
- (3) the occupational cover for byssinosis to be extended to persons employed in winding and beaming processes but no change to be made in the requirement of a minimum period of 10 years' employment in the processes covered by the prescription of byssinosis. Investigation is recommended of the questions whether cover should be further extended to persons employed in spinning processes, and whether grade 2 byssinosis should be brought within the scope of the industrial injuries scheme in any way.
I have considered and accepted these recommendations of the council. Amendments to the legislation to implement the changes proposed will be introduced as soon as practicable. The timing of the further investigation of byssinosis recommended in the report will be considered in the light of the advisory council's future programme of work.
In addition to the above recommendations the council has concluded that, having regard to the interpretation of "disablement" by the courts and the latest medical knowledge of the disease, it can no longer support the advice given in its 1953 report on pneumoconiosis that a person in whom the disease is diagnosed will almost always be disabled by it to the extent that disablement benefit is payable. The independent pneumoconiosis medical boards which decide claims for benefit in respect of pneumoconiosis are in practice following the advice given by the council in 1953 and after very careful consideration I have concluded that because of the special nature of pneumoconiosis it would be right that they should continue to do so. Accordingly amending legislation is before Parliament to provide for continuation of the current practice.