§ Mr. Craigenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of days at work lost last year through sickness in the United Kingdom as a whole and in Scotland alone which may be attributed to rheumatic and arthritic complaints.
§ Mr. DeakinsInformation is available only for days of certified incapacity for work in connection with national insurance claims. These include Saturdays but exclude days for which no claim has been made because, for instance. the spells were short or were in respect of married women who had chosen to pay reduced rate contributions.
In the year ended May 1977ߞthe latest period for which figures are availableߞthe numbers of such days were as follows:
United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland) million Scotland million Rheumatic complaints 5.3 0.6 Arthritic complaints 19.2 1.8 Total 24.5 2.4