A survey by Norwich Union of its total serious illness claims in Ireland and Britain in the past year confirms the trend reported by other companies - that the majority of claims are for cancer (51.5 per cent), with heart attack (16.1 per cent) and stroke (10.8 per cent) being the two other main serious illnesses.

Permanent and total disability and multiple sclerosis each account for 7 per cent of the Norwich's claim experience. The average payout is £40,000.

According to the Norwich survey of the Irish Republic:

45 per cent of Irish families have no life insurance;

87 per cent of families covered only have one spouse covered;

33 per cent have cover of less than one year's income - three out of five people are likely to be affected by a serious illness such as cancer or heart disease in their lifetime;

5 per cent of deaths in Ireland in 1992 resulted from cancer;

75 per cent of men under age 45 who have a heart attack survive three years or more;

50 per cent of businesses will lose one partner through death before age 65.