§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) coalminers and (b) coalminers' widows are entitled to compensation as a result of suffering from emphysema or chronic bronchitis; and how many of them have received (i) full and (ii) partial compensation payments. [103061]
§ Mrs. LiddellAs of 16 December the Department has received 62,541 claims from living miners. We have made 645 full and final payments totalling some £1.9 million and 14,519 interim payments totalling some £28.5 million.
In addition, the Department has received 28,879 claims on behalf of deceased miners. This figure includes miner's widows and their dependants. We are unable to differentiate between the claims at this stage. However, we have made 1,149 bereavement awards to widows totalling over £10 million.
The Department will not know the total number of claimants who are entitled to compensation for some time. These figures will not be available until claims have been received and fully assessed.