Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will take steps to ensure that former mineworkers are eligible for the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) provides non-contributory, “no-fault” benefit for disablement because of an accident at work or one of over 70 ‘prescribed’ diseases known to be a risk from certain jobs.

The department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on changes to the list of occupational diseases for which IIDB can be paid. A disease can only be recommended for prescription by IIAC if the risk to workers in a certain occupation is substantially greater than the risk to the general population, and the link between the disease and the occupation can be established or presumed with reasonable certainty.

Former coal miners that satisfy the occupational and other eligibility criteria for a particular Prescribed Disease (PD) may already be eligible for IIDB.

IIAC keeps existing PDs under continuous review to ensure they are in line with current scientific evidence. If any further recommendations are made by IIAC on changes to the list of PDs, they will be carefully considered by the department.