§ Mr. Charles WardleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has accepted the findings of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's recent report on bronchitis and emphysema; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he proposes to make regarding the recommendations of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's report into the cause of emphysema among mineworkers.
§ Mr. ScottI have accepted the report's conclusions and arrangements are being made for its publication. The council's main finding is that there is insufficient evidence to warrant prescription, according to the criteria laid down in section 76(2) of the Social Security Act 1975, of bronchitis and emphysema in their own right. The council also calls for further research in this field, especially studies on populations of non-smoking, dust-exposed workers.