Up to £92k for asbestos cancer sufferers under new scheme

Tuesday 13 August 2019

Sufferers of cancers linked with asbestos exposure in Jersey will be able to claim up to £92,000 in one-off lump sum compensation under a new scheme being launched in autumn.

The asbestos compensation scheme will officially launch on 1 October this year.

Amounts sufferers of Diffuse Mesothelioma – an incurable form of cancer that can lead to severe chest pain, breathing difficulties and death, and is common among former construction industry workers – will be able to claim will range between £92,259 for those under the age of 37, and £14,334 for those 77 and over.

It comes following an e-petition demanding compensation for sufferers and families bereaved due to asbestos-related diseases, which attracted over 1,300 signatures, and a successful proposition brought to the States Assembly by Deputy Carina Alves last year.

Pictured: The scheme came following successful proposals by Deputy Carina Alves.

Since then, the Social Security Minister, Deputy Judy Martin, has been responsible for developing a scheme – details of which have been released this week.

Jersey’s compensation scheme, which follows an existing UK model, will see claimants have to meet the following criteria:

• be 18 years or older
• be resident in Jersey for the last 5 years
• have a diagnosis of diffuse mesothelioma from a consultant in Jersey 
• claim within 12 months of first diagnosis 
• have been exposed to asbestos containing materials (ACM) in Jersey 

Close relatives, meanwhile, will also be able to apply for lump sum compensation if they meet these criteria:

• be ordinarily resident in Jersey for the last five years
• be a relation of the deceased sufferer 
• claim for a sufferer who was eligible for the Scheme on the date of their death; and
• claim within 12 months of the deceased sufferer’s death

It is planned that the amounts able to be claimed will increase annually in line with Jersey’s inflation rate.

The Government Plan, which sets aside £628,000 for the scheme between 2020 and 2023, notes: “It is estimated that there will be up to five claims per year (not including the first year) with an estimated cost of £150,000 per annum. There may be additional costs in 2019 in respect of a small additional number of transitional claimants.”

Pictured: The Government Plan notes that the scheme will likely cost around £150,000 per year.

Commenting on the launch of the compensation scheme, Deputy Martin said: “The use of asbestos is now highly regulated but this disease can occur many years after the initial exposure.  

“The aim of the new scheme is to ensure that sufferers can receive a lump sum payment quickly and easily.”