asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when regulations will be made to allow sickness benefit for kidney patients whose dialysis makes them incapable of work for two or three days every week.

The Social Security (Days of Incapacity for Work) Regulations 1982, which have been laid today, come into operation on 14 June 1982. They will enable sickness or invalidity benefit to be paid for two or three days if incapacity results from regular weekly treatment by way of haemodialysis for chronic renal failure or certain other conditions. Extra statutory payments have been made in these cases since September 1980.