§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to secure access to the health records of retired miners when the holders of these records refuse access. [159742]
§ Mr. HainAssessing compensation is part of an on-going legal process and they are required by law to release the records.
If there are difficulties of non-co-operation, Healthcall (who manage the medical assessment process for the Department) in liaison with the Department, issue two warning letters in sequence. If there is no satisfactory response within one week of the second letter, the Department will begin court proceedings. It has not been necessary to go beyond the second warning letter to date.