§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many claims for compensation for contracting asbestos-related diseases have been received by British Rail from or on behalf of former employees of British Rail Engineering Ltd. based in(a) York, (b) Derby, (c) Crewe and (d) other locations; in how many of these cases the former employee has died from an asbestos-related disease; how many of these claims have been settled; what was the (i) highest, (ii) lowest and (iii) the average cash sum paid in compensation in cases which resulted in the death of the employee; and how many weeks on average were taken in settling these claims from the time that they were initially submitted to British Rail. [9201]
§ Mr. WattsBritish Rail has provided the following information:
BREL: asbestos-related compensation claims York Derby Crewe Other Claims registered 43 20 28 194 Claims closed 19 5 13 69 These data relate to claims registered since 1 April 1991.
Information on the number of cases in which former BREL employees have died from an asbestos-related disease, and on the compensation payable in such cases, is not readily available. In addition, in some cases the claim may be settled before death, and in others death may have occurred before the claim was submitted.
Details of, financial settlements to date
- Highest settlement: £262,134–05
- Lowest settlement: £5,385–50
- Average settlement: £37,515–64.
This information relates to all cases arising out of an asbestos-related disease, not just to those which resulted in the death of the employee.
The average time taken in settling claims from registration to closure of the case is 91 weeks. This period includes the time taken to pay plaintiff's costs and any costs payable by British Rail to its own legal advisors, as the claim cannot be closed until all legal costs have been paid.