Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of people with Silicosis in the construction industry.

Silicosis, along with coal workers pneumoconiosis and asbestosis are the most common forms of pneumoconiosis which is a prescribed disease within the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme. Pneumoconiosis cases not specifically identified as asbestosis or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis are mainly silicosis and the annual numbers of such cases newly assessed for IIDB over the last ten years are shown in the table below. Of these annual cases, those associated with the construction industry are also shown.

The number of silicosis cases within the IIDB scheme is likely to be lower than the true incidence of this disease. This is because IIDB does not compensate anyone who is self-employed, and not all affected individuals apply to the scheme.

Annual new cases of pneumoconiosis not recorded as asbestosis or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis assessed for IIDB, 2008-2017