§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the applicants for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis Etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 who had made their applications before 31 December 1979 still have not had their cases determined.
§ Mr. Mayhew850 out of a total of 2,533.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to provide that the widows of coal miners who died before 26 January 1970 can be compensated under the terms of the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979, to an extent Which would make up any compensation previously paid to them to the level of entitlement of the above Act, disregarding the fact that such small previous payments would debar them under the 1979 Act, and also disregarding their possible right to claim damages against the National Coal Board.
322W
§ Mr. MayhewNo. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy announced in a written answer on 19 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Lyell), in order to ease the problems caused by the flat-rate compensation arrangements for these widows, the Government are providing finance, in accordance with a suggestion made by the mining unions, to enable the minimum compensation under the coal industry pneumoconiosis compensation scheme to be increased to £600.