16 May 2006 - Hutton announces bid to speed up Mesothelioma compensation
John Hutton today announced his intention to work in partnership with insurers to ensure faster compensation for mesothelioma sufferers and their families.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said:
“As an MP in a ship building area, I have seen at first hand the effects that exposure to asbestos can cause.
“Mesothelioma is a particularly unpleasant disease and the time between diagnosis and death is often tragically short.
“No amount of money will ever compensate individuals and families for the suffering and loss caused by mesothelioma, but it is doubly important that the process for claiming compensation does not add to the distress experienced by individuals and their families.”
The DWP will work with the Association of British Insurers, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Department for Constitutional Affairs to urgently identify ways to speed up the settlement of claims. We all believe there is more that can be done to improve the system.
Our aim is to ensure that wherever possible sufferers of mesothelioma can receive compensation whilst they themselves can still benefit from it, at the same time knowing that their families will be secure in the future.
The move could help up to 2000 individuals a year who currently die from mesothelioma, which is by far the most common work-related death. The number of deaths is expected to rise to 2500 when it peaks in 2015.
Mr Hutton said he would report back on progress made before Parliament rises for the summer.
Notes to editors
- Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs or, less commonly, abdomen, and is associated almost exclusively with asbestos. It is invariably fatal, with death arising typically 12-18 months following diagnosis. Mesothelioma is more likely in those where there was extensive exposure to asbestos, but it can arise in people who have been exposed to only small numbers of fibres.
- The long latency period of mesothelioma means that there are some particular
issues around establishing and progressing civil compensation claims:
- Establishing exposure and employment history
- Collecting supporting evidence
- Identifying and locating the defendants (employers and insurers)
- Tracking the existence of insurance, including tracing records
- Valuing and settling claims.
This work will address these kinds of issues.
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