§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many interim payments were offered in respect of claims for chronic bronchitis and emphysema by area and by month since 1999. [2778]
§ Mr. WilsonThe number of interim payments made to chronic bronchitis and emphysema claimants since 1 January 1999, broken down by area, are as follows.
675W
Date England Wales Scotland Total Pre-December 1998 6,739 2,809 972 10,520 1999 January 483 87 65 635 February 170 53 31 254 March 556 102 31 689 April 360 95 15 470 May 396 76 33 505 June 320 76 13 409 July 312 94 44 450 August 254 68 7 329 September 257 143 0 400 October 293 146 6 445 November 260 139 11 410 December 379 119 2 500 2000 January 404 166 8 578 February 411 216 40 667 March 526 172 20 718 April 418 103 44 565 May 425 71 61 557 June 361 158 60 579 July 541 150 49 740 August 461 137 42 640 September 486 111 44 641 October 434 156 90 680 November 406 177 64 647 December 762 337 77 1,176 2001 January 568 263 92 923 February 593 236 155 984 March 762 290 124 1,176 April 718 247 149 1,114 May 1,600 562 174 2,336 June 2,271 800 145 3,216 Total 22,926 8,359 2,668 33,953
§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many widows' claims are outstanding in respect of their late husbands' claims for chronic bronchitis and emphysema, broken down by area and month since 1999. [2773]
§ Mr. WilsonI regret that IRISC, the Department's handler, is unable to provide figures as to the number of widow's claims outstanding by region and by month since 1999 in the time given.
However, I can confirm the IRISC has registered 54,938 claims in respect of miners' widows and families, to date. Of these, so far the Department has paid almost 6,000 bereavement and loss of society awards.
In May 2001, an initiative was agreed to make an interim payment of £2,000 to widows who have received a bereavement award, subject to certain conditions. The Department has, to date, made 1,932 of these awards.
In total, 13,600 interims and final settlements have been paid to miners' families, amounting to £65.8 million.
§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the time which will be taken to settle all claims for(a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger. [2776]
676W
§ Mr. WilsonIt is difficult to say when all compensation claims for both respiratory disease and vibration white finger, VWF will be settled, not least because new claims are still being received.
With regard to respiratory disease, there are currently 153,200 claims registered and 900 new claims continue to be initiated each week. To date, almost 124,000 claims for VWF have been registered, with an approximate weekly increase of 330 claims per week. While the number of claims continue to increase, the Department is unable to provide, with accuracy, an estimate of the time taken to settle claims.
§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the average length of time taken from an interim payment in respect of a claim for chronic bronchitis and emphysema being offered to payment being received, broken down by area in each of the last three years. [2779]
§ Mr. WilsonUnder the respiratory disease handling agreement signed between the Department and the claimants' solicitors, the Department makes the following interim payment:
The majority of these are made directly by issuing a cheque rather than making an offer and waiting for acceptance. The only interim where there is a prior offer stage is the one in respect of an initiative agreed in May 2001 to make a £2,000 interim to widows in receipt of a bereavement award. The payment of this award is dependent on a response from the claimant and subject to certain criteria. The payment of this interim is also dependent on IRISC, the Department's claims handler, being in receipt from the claimants' solicitors of the requisite documents to ensure that payment is made to the right individual, as determined by the grant of probate. I regret that the Department is unable to provide figures for the turnaround time of these interims broken down by area. This depends, among other things, on the time of responses from the claimant. However, I can confirm that once IRISC is in receipt of the necessary documents, the average length of time taken to making a payment is 1.5 weeks.
- 1. an interim payment of £2,000 is made upon provision by a claimant to IRISC of verification of receipt of the Industrial Injuries Benefit, PD D12, subject to confirmation of the number of years of underground work as set out in the handling agreement;
- 2. a bereavement award is payable to the widow upon production of a death certificate for their husband citing one of eight descriptors;
- 3. when a claimant has attended an appointment to undergo the medical assessment process, MAP, and the report has shown that the claimant is exhibiting symptoms of injuries British Coal is liable for the IRISC, the Department's claims handler, is unable to make an offer in full and final settlement, an interim will be made;
- 4. interim payments arc made upon completion of screening spirometry with a tariff agreed with the claimants' solicitors in accordance with the criteria set out in the handling agreement.
§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to improve the 677W process for claimants suffering from chronic bronchitis and emphysema and who have made a claim for compensation in the north-east area. [2777]
§ Mr. WilsonThe key to speeding up the compensation process in the north-east lies in the recruitment of more respiratory specialists.
Healthcall, the company contracted to deliver the medical assessment, will move resources to areas where the rate of MAP assessments is unsatisfactory, such as the north-east. Recently, a specialist has been employed in a full time capacity in the north-east and a further specialist has been identified who is prepared to travel from Scotland to work in the Newcastle and Durham area.
Healthcall are also installing extra long function testing equipment at the centre in Durham to increase the rate of assessments still further. The use of one or both of the mobile testing centres in the area is also being investigated.