HL Deb 28 February 2001 vol 622 cc143-4WA
Lord Naseby

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the oral Answer on 13 February, how many of the 134,000 ex-miners suffering from dust related diseases are still awaiting assessment. [HL744]

The Minister for Science, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville)

To date, IRISC, the department's claims handlers, have registered over 135,500 claims and more are coming in each week. Of these, 66,000 claimants have undergone lung function tests, the first stage of the Medical Assessment Process, MAP, and a further 14,000 have been invited to make appointments. To date, around 11,500 claimants have undergone the full MAP assessment, with a further 4,300 appointments made. Currently, 31,500 individual payments have been made, amounting to £117.7 million.