asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cases of possible mesothelioma were referred to the coroner for the eastern district of Greater London in each of the years 1968 to 1979, inclusive; in how many cases the diagnosis of mesothelioma was confirmed; how many cases investigated were investigated by the pneumoconiosis medical panel; in how many of these (a) the diagnosis of mesothelioma was accepted and (b) an alternative diagnosis was made; and what was the diagnosis made in those cases.
I regret that the number of possible mesothelioma cases referred to the coroner for the eastern district of Greater London between 1968 and 1979 is not known and the cost of trying to obtain this and the other information requested could not be justified.