§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will announce the arrangements for claiming industrial injuries disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will shortly lay before Parliament regulations to prescribe chronic bronchitis and emphysema as industrial diseases in relation to underground coal miners. The regulations will come into effect from 13 September 1993. The terms of the prescription, which are as recommended by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council were announced by my right hon. Friend in his reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 29 March at column77. He has also announced that there will be a two-stage take-on in order to ensure that claims can be handled as quickly as possible and that unacceptable delays do not arise.
Claims from seriously ill and older miners will be dealt with first; their claims will be accepted from 13 September. Claims from all others will be accepted from 1 March 546W 1994. No-one will lose benefit as a result of the staged take-on. Payments will be backdated to 13 September 1993 if people claim at the appropriate time and satisfy the usual conditions for the award of benefit.
For the purpose of claiming benefit in stage 1, the regulations will define "seriously ill" miners and ex-miners as those who are in receipt of an award of the higher rate care component of disability living allowance or higher rate attendance allowance. Miners and ex-miners who are awarded one of these benefits between 13 September 1993 and 28 February 1994 will also be able to submit a claim in stage 1. Claims will also be taken in stage 1 from other miners and ex-miners who are age 70 or over on 13 September 1993. In stage 2, claims will be taken from all other miners from 1 March 1994.
The details about claiming will be widely publicised by the Benefits Agency before 13 September.