Bronchitis and Emphysema (Hansard, 22 February 1994)

§ Mr. Scott

The administration of industrial disablement benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Allan Rogers, dated 21 February 1994:

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The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking about the number of claims received nationally for disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema and how many have been allowed.

Firstly, I would like to explain that there are two stages to the take on of claims for disablement benefit for prescribed disease D12 (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) which has been available since 13 September 1993 for people who have worked at least 20 years underground in a coal mine.

Stage I was restricted to claims from people who were aged 70 or over on 13 September 1993 or who had an award of higher rate Disability Living Allowance Care component or higher rate attendance allowance and will end shortly; stage 2 will commence on 1 March 1994 and is open to anybody to claim. All claims will be considered for payment from 13 September 1993.

As of 13 February 1994, the number of claims received by the Benefits Agency was 23,477 (In addition, there were claims received which were not proceeded with for various reason for example the claim was not appropriate to Stage 1, where the claimant would be advised to reclaim at the proper time).

	1–13 per cent.	14–24 per cent.	25–34 per cent.	35–100 per cent.	Total
South East Area¹	0	1	1	18	20
South Yorkshire and Humberside Area¹	0	27	50	270	347
Tyne Tees Area
Blyth	0	5	7	35	47
Sunderland North	0	0	3	11	14
Bishop Auckland	0	0	4	12	16
Eston	0	0	0	0	0
Houghton-Le-Spring	0	1	4	29	34
Jarrow	0	0	10	26	36
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	0	0	2	10	12
North Durham	1	3	19	121	144
North Tees	0	0	0	0	0
North Tyneside	0	0	0	4	4
Sunderland South	0	0	3	15	18
Total	1	9	52	263	325
Wales Area Ammanford	1	6	15	64	86
Cynon Merthyr and Rhymney Valley	9	35	35	127	206
Gwyneddigion	0	0	0	1	1
Mid Wales and Maelor	0	3	2	12	17
North Wales Coast	0	0	0	0	0
Ogwy Afan Nedd	3	18	23	79	123
Pontypridd	3	17	19	71	110
South Glamorgan	0	0	0	1	1
South Gwent and Islwyn	0	11	1	43	55
Swansea	0	5	9	38	52
Cwmbran	1	8	6	20	35
Total	17	103	110	456	686
West Country Area Barnstaple	0	0	0	0	0
Bath	0	1	0	0	1
Gloucester	0	0	0	0	0
Bournemouth	0	0	0	0	0
Bridgewater	0	0	0	0	0
Sevemside	0	0	0	0	0
Torbay	0	0	0	0	0
Truro	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	1	0	0	1
West Mercia Area Cannock	0	2	2	39	43
Walsall	0	0	0	3	3
Dudley	0	0	0	0	0
Ilkeston	1	0	1	11	13
North Staffordshire	0	11	10	86	107
Shropshire	0	0	0	2	2
Smethwick	0	0	0	0	0
South Derbyshire	0	1	1	12	14
West Bromwich	0	0	0	0	0
Wolverhampton	0	0	0	0	0

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The attached tables show the number of medical assessments which had been carried out at 6 February 1994. The table breaks the assessments of disablement down by 13 per cent. or less, 14–24 per cent., 25–34 per cent., and 35 per cent. or more; and the total number of assessments. It should be noted that there are a number of the claims stated above which have not reached the assessment stage so the total number of assessments shown will increase in time.

As with most prescribed occupational diseases, disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema is not paid for assessments under 14 per cent. The very few assessments of 13 per cent. or less therefore did not attract an award of disablement benefit, unless it was possible to aggregate them with existing assessments.

The Benefits Agency is organised into Areas, each consisting of a number of Districts. In some parts of the country claims for chronic bronchitis or emphysema have been handled at special Centres covering a number of Districts. The tables show totals for each Area and for each Centre or District within the Area.

I hope you will find this information helpful.

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	1–13 per cent.	14–24 per cent.	25–34 per cent.	35–100 per cent.	Total
Total	1	14	14	153	182
Grand Total	23	200	295	1,603	2,121
¹ Covered by one centre.

	1–13 percent.	14–24 per cent.	25–34 per cent.	35–100 per cent.	Total
Greater Manchester Area¹	0	02	3	14	19
Lancashire and Cumbria Area
Accrington	0	0	0	1	1
Barrow	0	0	0	0	0
Blackpool	0	0	0	2	2
Bolton	0	2	0	6	8
Bumley	0	0	0	1	1
Preston	1	0	0	1	2
Whitehaven	0	0	0	3	3
Wigan/Leigh	0	5	8	35	48
Total	1	7	8	49	65
Merseyside Area
Crewe	0	0	0	0	0
Liverpool Edgehill	0	0	0	0	0
Liverpool Kirby	0	0	0	0	0
South West Lancashire	0	2	4	13	19
Southport	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	2	4	13	19
Midlands South West Area
Birmingham Edgbaston	0	0	0	0	0
Birmingham Handsworth	0	0	0	0	0
Coventry	0	1	0	4	5
Nuneaton	0	2	0	23	25
Redditch	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	3	0	27	30
North and West Yorkshire Area¹	1	21	25	134	181
North, Central and West Scotland Area
Ayr	0	0	1	8	9
Kilmarnock	0	0	0	1	1
Clyde Valley	0	0	5	5	10
Coatbridge	0	0	0	0	0
Highlands and Islands	0	0	0	0	0
Stirling	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	6	14	20
¹ Covered by one centre.

Assessments for chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema (prescribed disease D12)
	1–13 per cent.	14–24 per cent.	25–34 per cent.	35–100 per cent.	Total
Hertford	0	0	0	0	0
Lowestoft	0	0	0	0	0
Northampton	0	0	0	0	0
Norwich Chantry	0	0	0	0	0
Watford	0	0	0	0	0
Total Anglia area	0	0	0	0	0
Euston	0	0	0	0	0
Luton	0	0	0	0	0
Oxford Tyndale	0	0	0	0	0
Total Chilterns area	0	0	0	0	0
Chesterfield and Worksop	0	6	7	55	68
East Nottinghamshire	0	0	2	12	14
Grantham	0	0	0	0	0
Leicester Tower Hill Street	0	0	0	0	0
Loughborough	0	2	1	3	6
North Nottinghamshire	1	2	5	67	75
Skegness	1	0	0	2	3

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	1–13 per cent.	14–24 per cent.	25–34 per cent.	35–100 per cent.	Total
Nottingham David Lane	0	0	1	10	11
Total East Midlands area	2	10	16	149	177
Kirkcaldy	0	0	4	19	23
Lothian West	0	0	0	7	7
Lowland East	0	0	2	14	16
Total Midlands area	0	0	06	40	46
East Kilbride	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow Anniesland	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow City	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow East	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow Springbum	0	0	0	1	1
Total Glasgow area	0	0	0	1	1