Investigation into the working of the "death benefit" for coalworkers' pneumoconiosis.

Section 7(c) of the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act (1946) states that "industrial death benefit (in this Act referred to as "death benefit") shall be payable to such persons as are hereinafter provided if the death of the insured person results from the injury", and death benefit has therefore been paid to relatives (under certain specified conditions) of those dying from coalworkers' pneumoconiosis since 1948. Difficulties have arisen in relation to the working of this Act in two ways: (a) It has always been difficult for laymen and to a lesser extent for doctors to differentiate between those suffering from a chronic condition such as pneumoconiosis who die and those who die of pneumoconiosis. The difficulty is particularly obvious in the case of a miner who has been receiving a high rate of disablement benefit before he dies of some condition unconnected with his pneumoconiosis. The relatives are not unreasonably surprised when no death benefit is payable. (b) There is a very real difficulty medically in deciding the exact cause of death in elderly people who are known to be suffering from pneumoconiosis. The difficulty often remains when post mortem evidence is available.