Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the context of potential closure of her Department's Phoenix House office in Barrow-in-Furness, whether her Department has taken steps to maintain knowledge and experience of staff dealing with claims arising from asbestos exposure.

Following the plans to close Phoenix House being announced in 2017, resources have been increased other locations, and capability is being built in these locations which includes those cases arising from asbestos exposure.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) is delivered by experienced teams in three sites, the planned closure of Barrow-in-Furness means that work currently undertaken in this site will be delivered from our other IIDB teams based in Barnsley and Bradford.

Transfer of work will be done in a seamless way, with no degradation of service to our customers, including those customers who claim with asbestos related diseases, or under schemes such as the “Workers’ Compensation Scheme, Pneumoconiosis (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979 and the 2008 Mesothelioma Scheme.”