DWP/034/10
People suffering from mesothelioma will be given more financial
help, the Government announced today.
Lump sum payments from the 2008 Mesothelioma Scheme will increase
by around 40% from April to the same level as those paid under the
Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979. This will
mean that individuals who develop the disease from asbestos
exposure outside the workplace will receive the same payment as
those exposed at work. People can develop the disease if, for
example, they lived close to an asbestos factory or by washing
their partner’s clothes if their partner was exposed to asbestos.
Sufferers currently receive a minimum payment of £8,197 from the
Mesothelioma Scheme. This will rise to £11,678 in April. The
maximum payment will rise from £52,772 to £75,176.
The Government will also increase payment levels under the 1979
Act by a further 1.5%, even though the retail price index showed
negative growth.
Payments to the family of someone who dies of mesothelioma and
other dust-related diseases will also receive an additional
increase in their awards. Currently these payments are made at a
much lower rate than those made to sufferers during life. To help
families cope with the effect of the disease on their loved ones,
dependants will now receive an increase of up to £5,000, to bring
the rate of payment between sufferers and dependents closer together.
DWP Minister Bill McKenzie said:
“Mesothelioma devastates lives and causes great suffering to
hundreds of individuals and their families. I am pleased to
announce that from April everyone who suffers from this disease
will receive the same payment wherever they were exposed to
asbestos, providing a substantial increase for those who developed
the disease outside the workplace.
“We recognise that the terrible effects mesothelioma can have on
families who have to cope with the effect of the disease on their
loved ones, witnessing their pain, suffering and, ultimately,
their death. They will now receive an extra amount to help them
through these extremely difficult times.”
The 2008
Mesothelioma Scheme was introduced to provide up-front financial
support to those people who previously were not eligible for help
from the Government’s other compensation schemes.
In the first 12 months, 630 people have benefited from the
scheme. A similar number of people are expected to benefit each
year from the increase in payments.
The new payment
rates will apply to claims from sufferers where the diagnosis of
mesothelioma is given on or after 1 April 2010. They will also
apply to claims made by dependants where the date of death occurs
on or after 1 April 2010.
The Government also recently announced that thousands of people
with serious industrial diseases who miss out because they cannot
trace their employers’ insurance records should be given
additional help to be able to claim civil compensation.
The DWP set out plans to create an Employers’ Liability Tracing
Office to help people track down their employers’ liability
insurance policies, and an Employers’ Liability Insurance Bureau
to provide a fund of last resort for those who are unable to trace them.
Notes to Editors
1. The Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979
The Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979, pays
lump sums to people with certain lung diseases, including
mesothelioma. It helps workers who became ill years after they
develop certain dust-related diseases as a result of their
employment, and are unable to pursue claims against their
employers because they have ceased trading. This meant that people
who developed mesothelioma, but not as a consequence of their
work, were not eligible for a payment.
2. The 2008 Mesothelioma Scheme
The 2008 Mesothelioma Scheme provides a lump sum payment for all
people with mesothelioma who previously were not eligible. They
might have lived near to an asbestos producing factory, or been
exposed to asbestos by washing the clothes of a family member who
worked with asbestos or been self-employed.
The 2008
Mesothelioma Scheme is a self-funding scheme. Payments made are
met by money recovered if a civil damages claim is subsequently successful.
When the 2008 scheme was introduced, the Government set the
payments at a level consistent with the amount it expected to
recover, which was a lower rate than the 1979 Act. However, it
made clear its intention to bring payments to the same level as
those under the 1979 Act at the earliest opportunity, which it is
now doing.
Payments under either scheme are made according to age at the
time of diagnosis.
3. Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen,
and is associated almost exclusively with asbestos. It is
invariably fatal, and the time between diagnosis and death is on
average about 9 months.
There is often a long time between exposure to asbestos and the
development of mesothelioma. This varies from a minimum of about
10 years upwards, the average interval being in the order of 30-40 years.
The number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain has risen
substantially over the last 30 years and continues to rise. In
1968 only 153 died from mesothelioma. In contrast, in 2005 there
were over 2,000 deaths. The incidence of mesothelioma is expected
to peak between 2010 and 2015. Between 2006 and 2020 it is
expected that up to 30,000 people will die of the disease in the UK.
Contacts:
Department Work and Pensions
Phone: 020 3267 5144
NDS.DWP@coi.gsi.gov.uk