Asbestos compensation

Construction union UCATT has welcomed the government’s move to make it easier for victims of mesothelioma – an incurable form of lung cancer, usually caused by exposure to asbestos fibres – to claim compensation.

The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons this month, taking it a step closer towards becoming law. The Bill will make it easier and quicker for mesothelioma victims to claim a lump-sum compensation payment from the government – and, for the first time, the dependants of a victim who has already died will be able to receive the payment.