Compensation joy for bereaved families of asbestos disease victims
Thousands of pounds extra will be payable to grieving loved ones
Bereaved family members of people who have died from asbestos-related diseases will now get the same level of compensation as living sufferers.
From today (October 31), families of workers who have died from asbestos-related diseases will receive full compensation.
The government has ended a system that penalised bereaved families during their most difficult times.
The decision comes after decades of campaigning from groups including the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum UK and parliamentarians.
The new rules will cost an estimated £2 million to £6 million per year.
Around 300 families in the UK are now set to benefit from the full compensation rate for workers who are suffering or have died from asbestos-related diseases.
It will mean that grieving families will receive significantly more money.
The Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979 scheme and the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme provide lump-sum compensation to people who have contracted a dust-related disease through their work, or to their dependants, where they have been unable to claim damages from an employer, often because the employer no longer exists.
Under the 2008 scheme, a 60-year-old claimant would receive £56,656, while an eligible dependant currently receives £24,526 if no claim was made before death.
But under the new law, the dependant would receive the full £56,656.
The same now applies under the 1979 scheme where a 60-year-old diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease who makes a successful claim would receive a lump sum payment of £34,062.
If they died before making a claim, an eligible dependant would have received £21,011 but under the new rules the dependant would instead receive £34,062, matching the amount that would have been paid to the individual.
The additional compensation will help families with day-to-day expenses and provide support without their loved one.
The changes follow an independent legal review of the schemes, which recommended a range of updates including the changes to dependant payments.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms said: “Losing a loved one to an asbestos-related disease is devastating. Families should not then face a financial penalty because of that loss.
“From today, bereaved families in Yorkshire and the Humber will receive the full compensation their loved ones would have been entitled to, ending a long-standing unfairness in the system.
“This is a long-overdue change that will provide greater support for families at a difficult time.”
After decades of campaigning from groups including the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum UK and parliamentarians, new legislation rights a historic wrong, ensuring bereaved families receive the same compensation entitlement as sufferers, at an estimated cost of between £2 million and £6 million per year.
The decision was also welcomed by Jane Lassey, director of regulation at the Health and Safety Executive.
She said: “Asbestos-related diseases continue to cause great suffering, and the effects of past exposure are still being felt by workers and their families.
“This change means bereaved families will receive the support their loved ones would have been entitled to.
“HSE’s priority remains preventing future harm.
“We will keep working with employers, workers and partners to make sure the risks from asbestos are understood and managed, so that fewer families have to go through this loss.”