§ Mrs. PeacockTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has received the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's report on asbestos-related diseases; and what is his response. [5828]
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§ Sir Jim LesterTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his response to the recommendations in the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's report on chronic bronchitis and emphysema. [5829]
§ Mr. LilleyWe have considered very carefully the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council's report on the qualifying conditions for the award of disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis and emphysema, Cm 3240, and will implement the extension they have recommended in full. This will make it easier for coal miners who are disabled by these diseases to qualify for benefit, and simpler to administer the scheme.
We have also received and considered very carefully the report of the council's review of asbestos-related diseases, which is being laid before Parliament and published today, Cm 3467. The council recommends a number of welcome improvements to the rules for those suffering from these diseases. These will help claimants and their advisers to identify more easily whether they might qualify. In particular, they aim to get benefit to mesothelioma sufferers more quickly. We will also implement these recommendations in full.
I am grateful to the council for the expert and detailed scrutiny it has given to these important issues, and for the practical way in which its recommended improvements are presented. Taken together, around 8,000 industrially disabled people are expected to gain from these changes.
I will be consulting the council on draft regulations to give effect to all these changes. The regulations will be laid to come into force from April 1997. We expect that a large number of people who have previously failed to qualify for benefit will wish to claim again from this date under the changed criteria. Considerable preparation is required to ensure their cases are speedily and effectively considered, without disrupting the Benefits Agency's service to its other customers. Details of the new arrangements will be well publicised before implementation.