§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the number of claimants who have incurred injuries and diseases in respect of their employment in the mining industry whose cases have not so far been settled.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis)British Coal currently have some 29,000 outstanding claims. The vast majority of these relate to diseases, principally Vibration White Finger (VWF) and Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease (COAD). Some 270 claims relate to injuries incurred from accidents.
Of the total some 24,000 claims cannot be settled until the conclusion of ongoing litigation. Again, the vast majority of these claims relate to VWF and COAD, with only 167 relating to accidents.