Vibration White Finger

HC Deb 19 October 1998 vol 317 cc1045-6W

Mr. Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to have a handling arrangement in place to deal with claims for compensation against British Coal with regard to vibration white finger. [55487]

Mr. Battle

Following the Court of Appeal judgment handed down at the end of July, my officials, in conjunction with external advisers, have been considering how best to effect the court's findings in the comprehensive draft handling arrangements for the more than 25,000 claims involved. Our proposals on one of the most critical issues have been sent to the solicitors representing the mass of claimants and early discussions are expected to follow.

We are keen to reach agreement as rapidly as possible on handling arrangements which are fair to all concerned and sufficiently robust to be able to process such a large group of claims.