asked the Minister of Labour whether the amount of time lost by sickness is on the increase among industrial workers; and whether he can indicate the main steps taken to deal with the problem?

Statistics on the point are not available. The main special steps taken by my Department under war conditions are to help in securing, in co-operation with the appropriate authorities, the satisfactory housing of transferred workers in particular, adequate feeding facilities, and good transport conditions, coupled with improved arrangements for medical and nursing attention for those who are sick and some extension of medical supervision in the factories themselves, so far as the available supply of doctors permits. Improved welfare supervision also has a bearing on the problem.

Would it be possible for my right hon. Friend to get some information from the Minister of Health on this subject based on the National Health Insurance returns?

It would be possible, but in view of the necessity of keeping down Government staffs as low as possible we do not want too much collection of statistics.