asked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what percentage of the average wage is the National Insurance benefit; and what was the percentage in 1938, 1945, 1950, 1955, and 1960.

The following table gives the information:trial deafness is now scheduled as a disease accepted for workmen's compensation.

In the United States each State has its own scheme of compensation and in only a minority has occupational deafness been recognised as an industrial disease. Compensation under these schemes is, in general, on a loss of earnings basis as distinct from the industrial injuries scheme which is related to loss of faculty whether or not the disability gives rise to a loss of earnings. This difference is so fundamental that it is difficult to make any useful comparison between the provisions made in the two countries. I am at present sponsoring a large-scale research project into the effects of industrial noise on hearing and I cannot come to any conclusion on the question of prescription until the results of this research are available.