12 July 2007 - Increase to vaccine damage payments from today
The statutory sum awarded to people who become severely disabled as a result of vaccination against certain diseases will increase from £100,000 to £120,000 from today, Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People, has announced.
The increase will restore the value of the payment to today’s prices for all successful claims made on or after 12 July.
Anne McGuire said:
“I am pleased to announce that the statutory sum for a vaccine damage payment will increase from £100,000 to £120,000 from today.
“Vaccination has been one of the great successes of modern times, and immunisation continues to be the safest way for parents to protect their children against disease. In the event of new awards for vaccine damage, the level of payment has been raised, and this increase shows that the Government remains committed to providing families with financial support.”
The last increase took place in 2000 when the statutory sum for a vaccine damage payment was increased from £40,000 to £100,000.
Notes for editors
- The increase to the statutory sum of a Vaccine Damage Payment was announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 3 May 2007.
- Vaccine Damage Payments are one-off lump sum payments for people who become severely disabled as a result of vaccination against certain diseases. These include Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Poliomyelitis, Measles, Mumps, Rubella (German measles), Tuberculosis (TB), Smallpox, Haemophilus Influenzae Type B, Pneumococcal Infection and Meningococcal Group C (Meningitis C).
- The amount of the payment
under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 is governed by the date of claims
as follows:
- £10,000 for claims made on or after 22 March 1979
- £20,000 for claims made on or after 16 August 1985
- £30,000 for claims made on or after 15 April 1991
- £40,000 for claims made on or after 1 July 1998
- £100,000 for claims made on or after 22 July 2000
- £120,000 for claims made on or after 12 July 2007
- Vaccine Damage Payments do not exclude a person’s potential eligibility to other benefits nor do they prejudice the right of the disabled person to pursue a claim for damages through the court.
- The Vaccine Damage Payments Unit address is Palatine House, Lancaster Rd, Preston, PR1 1HB. Tel 01772 899944.
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