§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to remove the historic anomalies which exclude the periodical medical examination of women in the pottery industry.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe Social Security (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations have taken over provisions made nearly 50 years ago whereby doctors who consider pneumoconiosis cases for compensation purposes are also required to undertake the periodical medical examination of male workers in certain processes in the pottery industry. This requirement is not strictly appropriate to the administration of the industrial injuries provisions and discussions are being held with the Health and Safety Executive, which has responsibility for advice on medical surveillance, with a view to removing the anomalies within it.
For the present, however, any woman in the pottery industry who is excluded from these arrangements for medical examination, but who suspects that she may be suffering from pneumoconiosis, should claim disablement benefit at her local social security office. Arrangements will then be made for her to have an X-ray as part of the consideration of her claim.