§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will exempt from compensation clawback those ex-miners who have received, or will receive, compensation for having contracted respiratory diseases as a result of their work with British Coal or its predecessor firms. [146460]
§ Mr. BayleyCompensation is intended to restore a person to the financial position which they experienced before the accident, injury or disease occurred.
459WThe Compensation Recovery Scheme is based on the long-standing principle that a person should not get compensation twice over for the same period.
The Department is doing all it can to ensure that the Compensation Recovery Scheme is operated as efficiently and effectively as possible. In particular, in the case of miners the Department is currently putting in place a series of administrative easements to speed up payment on miners' compensation claims. These changes will include, for example, allowing the Department of Trade and Industry more time to negotiate with the miner, without the need to contact the Department of Social Security; and reducing duplication and red tape. These changes will ensure delays in the process do not occur.