HC Deb 24 October 2000 vol 355 cc103-6W
Mr. Denis Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many MAP testing centres there are in the UK; where they are; on what dates they opened; how many examinations were carried out at each centre; and how many persons are waiting to be examined at each centre. [133985]

Mrs. Liddell

As at 8 October 2000 Healthcall Services Ltd., the company contracted to carry out the full Medical Assessment Process, has 26 centres operational (Mountain Ash being counted as a double centre because it has two sets of equipment). Healthcall will shortly be opening two further centres in South Wales, a centre in Wrexham, a centre in Stirling and a second set of equipment is to be installed in Barnsley, bringing the total to 30.

Location Date opened Number of assessments Future booked appointments
1. Ayr End of April 163 25
2. Barnsley End of March 78 141
3. Bristol End of May 1
4. Cannock End of April 25 59
5. Chesterfield End of February 79 93
6. Coventry End of January 47 36
7. Deal End of May 43 5
8. Durham End of March 87 241
9. Edinburgh End of March 166 55
10. Glasgow End of March 235 58
11. Huddersfield End of February 2 11
12. Leeds End of May 47 25
13. Lochore End of January 207 102
14. Manchester End of February 30 19
15. Mansfield End of February 236 168
16. Mexborough End of February 103 111
17. Mountain Ash3 End of January 414 452
18. Newcastle End of January 83 183
19. Newport End of January 473 199
20. Nottingham End of January 132 109
21. Pontefract End of February 169 220
22. Sheffield End of January 147 62
23. Stoke End of April 37 54
24. Swansea End of January 364 313

Location Date opened Number of assessments Future booked appointments
25. Wigan End of June 10 28
Deceased 1150 209
Domiciliary 266 29
Total 4791 3021
1 Due to lack of claims the equipment was moved to Mountain Ash, when numbers increase new equipment is available to re-equip the centre at short notice
2 Centre is equipped and doctors are available. Awaiting claims documentation before appointments could start
3Two sets of equipment

Mr. Denis Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema have been settled under the MAP process; what the names are of the firms dealing with these claims and the numbers of claims settled in each case; and what the average value is of these claims. [133987]

Mrs. Liddell

The Department is not yet able to make full and final offers in most cases as some elements of compensation (for example pension loss) have still to be agreed with the miners' solicitors. However, interim payments are made on all other heads of damages. So far we have processed over 1,300 claims post Medical Assessment Process (MAP). Half of these resulted in interim offers of compensation. The average value of accepted offer is just under £3,500.

Under the handling agreement signed by the DTI and the
claimants' solicitors the breakdown of post MAP interior offers is:
Solicitors Name Offers Made Offers Accepted
Ashton Morton Slack Solicitors 2 1
Attey Dibb and Clegg 2 2
Barnetts 1 1
Browell Smith and Co. 2 0
Davis Blank Furniss 1 1
Donald Race and Newton 1 1
Foy and Co. 1 0
Furley Page Fielding and Barton 2 0
Graysons Solicitors 8 6
Hopkins 17 13
Hugh James Ford Simey 192 180
Keeble Hawson Moorhouse 14 12
Latham and Co. 1 0
Malcolm C. Foy and Co. 1 0
Meloy, Whittle Robinson 1 1
Moss Solicitors 5 2
Nelsons 1 0
Raleys Solicitors 3 3
T. S. Edwards and Son Solicitors 15 11
Thomas and Co. Solicitors 4 2
Thompson and Co. 1 1
Thompsons Solicitors 80 61
Towells Solicitors 1 0
Union of Democratic Mineworkers 320 280
Total 676 578

Mr. Denis Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many offers of compensation for chronic bronchitis and emphysema have been made under the expedited process; how many offers have been accepted; what the names are of the solicitors or organisations dealing with these claims; and what the average value is of these claims. [133986]

Mrs. Liddell

The Department announced in September that it would upgrade the levels of expedited offers (going up from previous maxim of £4,750 to £14,500 depending on loss of lung function). 5,500 revised offers totalling £21.4 million went out last week. This will considerably raise the average offer to date.

Under the Handling Agreement signed by the DTI and the claimants' solicitors the breakdown of expedited offers is:

Solicitors name Offers made Offers accepted
Abenson and Co. 1 0
Accident and Injury Claims Centre 5 1
Adam F. Greenhalgh and Co. Solicitors 1 1
Ashcroft and Co. Solicitors 1 1
Ashton Morton Slack Solicitors 4 4
Attey Dibb and Clegg 43 10
Barnetts 2 1
Beecham Peacock 2 2
Bell Wright and Dallman 1 0
Ben Hoare Bell and Co. Solicitors 7 0
Beresfords (incorporating R. A. Swift) 34 11
Berryman Shacklocks Solicitors 2 2
Bleasdale and Co. 1 0
Bridge Sanderson Munro 1 0
Browell Smith and Co. 835 43
Burton Green Williamson 1 1
Bury Walkers Solicitors 2 0
Can and Co. Solicitors 2 0
Chapman and Chubb 1 0
Coley and Tilley 1 0
Corries Solicitors 6 0
Davis Blank Furniss 1 0
Dean Thomas and Co. Solicitors 1 0
Donald Race and Newton 1 0
Douglas Jones Mercer Solicitors 4 0
Elliot Mather 6 4
Emsleys Solicitors 12 1
Endlar Quigley 1 0
Endlars Solicitors 7 3
Farleys 7 4
Foy and Co. Solicitors 7 2
Frank Allen Pennington Solicitors 11 3
Furley Page Fielding and Barton 110 18
Gabb and Co. 20 8
George Mills Solicitors 6 3
Gorman Hamilton Solicitors 60 16
Gorvin Smith Fort 8 6
Graysons 659 406
Gwilym Jones and Davies with Bryant and Co. 1 0
Hamers Solicitors 8 0
Hartley and Worstenholme Solicitors 1 0
Hickmotts Solicitors 15 6
Higgins and Co. Solicitors 1 1
Holyoak and Co. Solicitors 1 0
Hopkins 151 55
Hugh James Ford Simey 1139 285
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors 324 127
Ison Harrison 2 1
J. Keith Park and Co. Solicitors 22 14
Jackson Heath Solicitors 2 0
John E. Millar and Company Solicitors 3 2
John Y. Robertson 6 1
Jordans 2 0
Keeble Hawson Moorhouse 137 41
Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors 51 30
Kirk Jackson 1 1
Latham and Co. Solicitors 50 13
Lees and Partners 1 0
Leo Abse and Cohen 2 0
Mace and Jones 1 0
Malcolm C. Foy and Co. Solicitors 4 1
Mark Gilbert Morse 16 1
Marrons Solicitors 75 3
Mathie Lennox 1 0

Solicitors name Offers made Offers accepted
Maurice Smith and Co. Solicitors 1 0
McArdles Solicitors 1 0
Meloy, Whittle Robinson Solicitors 15 0
Mills Kemp and Brown Solicitors 1 0
Mincoffs 6 1
Morgan Cole 32 4
Morison Bishop 18 10
Mortons Solicitors 28 7
Moss Solicitors 85 18
Moxon and Barker Solicitors 2 0
Needham Solicitors 1 1
Nelson and Co. Solicitors 10 5
O. H. Parsons and Partners Solicitors 243 80
Osborne Jones and Co. Solicitors 1 0
Oxley and Coward Solicitors 48 10
Park Hutchison Solicitors and Notaries 61 24
Peace and Co. Solicitors 1 0
Philip Morris Solicitors 1 0
Pickerings Solicitors 1 1
Plancey and Co. 14 11
R. L. Edwards and Partners Solicitors 1 0
Raleys Solicitors 1,166 347
Randalls 2 1
Randell Saunders Phillips and Lloyd 68 29
Richard J. Knaggs 8 3
Richmond Anderson Goudi 1 1
Richmonds 5 4
Robinson King Solicitors 9 1
Ross and Co. 11 10
Ross Harper Solicitors 1 1
Russell Jones and Walker 4 1
Saffmans Solicitors 27 14
Sedgwick Phelan and Partners 5 4
Shaw and Co. 98 7
Silverbeck Rymer Solicitors 19 7
Simpson Millar Solicitors 12 6
Southern Stewart and Walker 5 2
Stanton Croft Solicitors 47 38
Stephensons 1 0
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council 1 0
Stuart Bell and Associates 4 0
T. H. M. Tinsdills 0
T. H. Murray 1 0
T. S. Edwards and Son Solicitors 35 2
Taylor Bracewell Solicitors 3 1
The Beaumont Partnership 3 1
The Paul Rooney Partnership 1 0
The Smith Partnership 4 4
Thomas and Co. Solicitors 82 29
Thompson and Co. Solicitors 79 11
Thompson and Robinson Solicitors 2 1
Thompsons Solicitors 2,439 999
Tilly Bailey and Irvine Solicitors 3 1
Towells Solicitors 337 135
Treanors Solicitors 3 0
Twigg Farnell 2 1
Union of Democratic Mineworkers 362 90
W. Brook and Co. Solicitors 3 1
Wake Smith 15 2
Walker Cooke 1 1
Watson Burton Solicitors 405 193
Widdows Mason 1 0
Woollcombe Beer Watts 1 0
Total 9,739 3,253

The average expedited payment made is just over £2,400.