asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will introduce new regulations to ease the present restrictions on appeals against the disallowance of claims for industrial disablement benefit for pneumoconiosis and byssinosis following adverse decisions by pneumoconiosis medical boards.

I am pleased to tell my hon. Friend that new regulations, giving a right of appeal against any decision on the diagnosis question by a pneumoconiosis medical board on or after the operative date, have been laid before Parliament today.They will come into operation on 19 May. For appeals against decisions on or after that date, the only restriction will be that an appeal cannot be made within two years of the rejection of an earlier appeal.