§ Dr. Godmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give statistics for each of the past 10 years on the number of cases referred to the regional medical officer under the Invalidity Benefit Regulations for examination and the number deemed to be fit for some work, by his Department's regions.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to his reply, 3 February 1984, c. 404]: The available information is as follows. It includes claimants to sickness benefit as well as claimants to invalidity benefit. The analysis of the England figures from 1980 in the first table is by reference to divisions of the Regional Medical Service, not social security regions. With regard to the second and third table, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bell) on 18 January—[Vol. 52, c. 245–7]—for the figures for 1979 onwards. I regret that analysis of the England figures prior to 1980 is not available.
Claimants considered by regional medical service to be incapable of normal occupation but fit for alternative work Thousands 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 Great Britain 16.1 19.4 22.5 25.2 27.5 England 11.8 14.7 17.4 19.8 21.3 Scotland 3.0 3.3 3.6 4.0 4.7 Wales 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4