§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits to business and the wider economic implications of privatising industrial injuries benefit. [149600]
§ Mr. RookerI have been asked to reply.
As part of our wider programme of Welfare Reform, we have examined the costs and benefits of an option for the modernisation of the industrial injuries scheme by replacing it with a no-fault compensation scheme fully funded by employers through the use of compulsory private insurance.
We continue to keep the industrial injuries scheme under review. Under the Employer's Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, all employers (with specific exceptions) carrying out business in Great Britain are required to take out cover against liability for work-related bodily injury and disease. The cost of such insurance is a matter for employers and the insurance industry.