HC Deb 15 May 2002 vol 385 cc737-8W
Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the levels of compensation received by(a) mesothelioma sufferers and (b) those suffering from the effects of asbestos. [42632]

Mr. Wills

I have been asked to reply.

The levels of compensation awarded by the courts in relation to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are a matter for the discretion of the court in the individual circumstances of the case. The Judicial Studies Board produces guidelines for the assessment of personal injury damages, based on existing case law. The most recent edition of the guidelines, published in 2000, indicates that at that time awards in respect of mesothelioma or asbestosis causing severe impairment both of function and of quality of life usually fell within the range of £40,000 to £50,000.