§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to help women who suffer from industrial deafness to claim compensation from their employers.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 already requires employers to take out insurance to cover claims for compensation from employees who are injured, or who develop an industrial disease, as a result of their employer's negligence. We have no plans to extend this legislation.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the extent of change of the prevalence of the problem of industrial deafness in the past 10 years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe most reliable indicator of the change in the incidence of industrial deafness is best drawn from the numbers of workers claiming industrial injuries disablement benefit, administered by the Department of Social Security, as shown in the following table: 275W
Year Number of cases 11986–87 1,202 1987–88 1,251 1988–89 1,170 1989–90 1,128 1990–91 1,041 1991–92 2972 1 Figures from before 1986 are not comparable as they were compiled on a different basis. 2 Provisional.