§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many former employees of British Rail Engineering Ltd., York carriageworks, have submitted claims for compensation for contracting an asbestos-related disease; and, of these, how many have(a) died and (b) had their claims settled; what is the average length of time these claims have taken to settle; and what action British Rail is taking to speed up the settlement of such claims. [40234]
§ Mr. WattsForty-seven former employees submitted claims and 27 have been settled. Information on the number of people who have died since submitting claims is not available, as some may have died after their claims were settled. The average time to settle claims is 2.1 years. The time taken to settle claims is, to a large extent, beyond the control of Railway Claims Ltd. as claims can be processed only when all the relevant information is received from the claimant's solicitor.