§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many respiratory test centres have been paid by her Department for medical assessment for the coalminers' compensation scheme; by whom they are run; and what Government payments they have received. [170786]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 5 May 2004]: At present, the Department's respiratory disease medical providers are Atos Origin who are currently responsible for 29 test centres and two mobile test centres. The total cost to the Department for the provision of the medical assessment process since 1999 is £146 million.
77W
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of claimants have received(a) interim payments and (b) full and final settlements of the claims registered by the top 10 solicitors, determined by number of claims lodged, for respiratory disease and vibration white finger under the coalminers' compensation scheme. [170787]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 5 May 2004]: As of 4 May 2004 the figures are as follows:
Top 10 Solicitors1 2Percentage of Claimants who have received an Interim payment 3Percentage of Claimants who have received a full and final settlement Beresfords Solicitors 0.46 7.97 Thompsons 19.13 29.73 Hugh James Ford Simey 14.17 32.08 Raleys Solicitors 12.08 28.40 Browell Smith & Co. 13.10 22.88 Mark Gilbert Morse 8.82 24.69 Avalon 0.27 1.57 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 7.66 30.27 Watson Burton 8.19 30.41 Barber & Co. 0.06 4.23 1Top 10 Solicitors are in descending order and based on the number of claims received 2Total number of claimants who have received an interim 3Total number of settlements include claims settled by denial/withdrawal A very large number of claims for respiratory disease have been registered in the last six months and will not yet have been through to the stage of a possible payment.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many privately funded medical assessments have been received under the coalminers' compensation scheme where the claimant has rejected the assessments paid for by the Government under the scheme. [170788]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 5 May 2004]: The Department's Contractors do not record whether claimants have privately funded their own medical assessment.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many different claims handling agreements were signed by Government under the coalminers' compensation scheme; with whom; by whom and when. [170789]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 5 May 2004]: The Claims Handling Agreements (CHA) for respiratory disease and Vibration White Finger were negotiated with the claimants' solicitors. Separate CHAs were negotiated with the Union of Democratic Miners (UDM), the only difference being costs which are lower.
The agreements are:
Respiratory disease CHAs:
- England and Wales—signed in September 1999
- Scotland—June 2000
- Australia and New Zealand—January 2003
- UDM—November 1999
VWF CHAs:
78W
- England and Wales—All signed in January 1999
- Scotland
- UDM
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what amount is budgeted by Government for paying solicitors under the miners' compensation scheme for(a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. [170790]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 5 May 2004]: The figures according to the forecast at the end of 2003 are:
£million Financial year COPD VWF 2003–04 126.20 21.56 2004–05 154.28 38.11 2005–06 181.50 23.30 The forecasts will be revisited in the light of the number of claims now received in the respiratory disease scheme.
Payments made to solicitors will of course depend on the volume of cases processed and offers accepted.