08 May 2013
Workers who suffer from asbestos-related cancer will find it easier to gain compensation under Government proposals unveiled in the Queen’s Speech.
The Mesothelioma Bill will establish a financial support scheme for sufferers who developed cancer after being exposed to asbestos in the workplace.
Many of them have so far missed out on compensation because many employers have ceased to exist in the years it has taken for the disease to develop, and it has proved impossible to trace their insurer.
The Government estimates that 3,500 victims will be awarded a total of £355 million over the next decade thanks to a levy being imposed on insurers who offer employers’ liability.
Claims will be open to anyone who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after July 25 last year.
The cancer affects the lining of internal organs and claims more than 1,800 lives in the UK every year, with about 300 of those missing out any civil compensation due to problems tracing their firm’s insurer.
Copyright Press Association 2013