asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her estimate of the total cost of operating additional payments currently made under the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) (Colliery Workers Supplementary Scheme) to bring the supplements into line with the increases in other Industrial injury benefit since 1965.

About £5 million a year. The hon. Member will appreciate that as this is a coal industry scheme and not part of the social security system the cost would be borne by the scheme itself and not the National Insurance Fund.