asked the Minister for Social Welfare (a) the number of persons in receipt of disability benefit for each of the last three years (b) the number of disability benefit claimants examined by his Department's medical referees for each of the last three years and (c) the number of disability benefit claimants found capable of work by his Department's medical referees for each of the past three years.
Written Answers. - Disability Benefit Statistics.
188.
The information requested by the Deputy is given in the following table:
Disability Benefit.
|
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
|
|
Number of recipients of disability benefit at 31 December |
79,168 |
71,525 |
61,967 |
|
Number of claimants examined by medical referees |
54,687 |
68,888 |
67,738 |
|
Number of persons found capable of work by medical referees |
14,726 |
20,845 |
23,495 |