To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the likely number of deaths of miners pursuing compensation claims in the next 12 months. (170556)

The Department is unable to make such a prediction with any certainty. However, from the information provided by the claimants’ legal representatives we are aware of 135 claimants with a life expectancy of less than two years.

Since 1 January 2007, 528 claimants passed away before their claims were settled.