Yorkshire UK mesothelioma sufferers to receive compensation

Yorkshire, UK - Under a landmark new law, the government has decided that it would award a lump sum of £10,000 to all sufferers of mesothelioma within six weeks after their diagnosis with the asbestos-related lung cancer.

The new law was approved by MPs for the purpose of helping victims of asbestos receive compensation in a more timely fashion. Because malignant mesothelioma sufferers live for an average of only nine months after diagnosis, there have been a large number who have died before received compensation.

Before the law passed, only people who developed the disease through their work were eligible for receiving a lump sum from the government. However, anyone suffering from mesothelioma will be able to, such as those who came into contact with asbestos because they lived near a factory or because they were exposed to it from fibers carried on another person's clothing. Even people who work for themselves and those that aren't able to trace the source of their exposure are covered.

One MP has been fighting a long campaign for compensation to help hundreds of people who were affected by an asbestos factory in Armley. Although a 1996 court ruling allowed mesothelioma sufferers who developed the disease from pollution to claim compensation from the company to blame, payouts by JW Roberts have been delayed by over 10 years of legal battles. The factory still claimed lives for nearly 50 years after it stopped operations.

The new system is expected to compensate about 600 people a year and cost the government £6m for the first couple of years, but the money will be recovered by the government through court battles with the companies held liable.

The scheme will cost £6m a year for the first two years but Government lawyers will claw the cost back from the companies responsible. It is likely to compensate around 600 people a year.

Payments will be made to sufferers and dependents of victims on a sliding scale, with the average payout around £10,000.

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