(2) what conclusions he has drawn from the responses to the recent consultation on the industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme with regard to benefits being awarded to those individuals who have been retired from work or moved on to new employment and who later suffer disability as a result of injury at work.
[holding answer 11 December 2008]: The consultation period ended on 22 October 2008. The consultation asked specifically how we might reform industrial injuries disablement benefit to provide better support to help people adjust to their new circumstances while maintaining the work focus of the modern welfare state, whether lump sum payments are a good way of meeting people's needs, whether they give people more choice and control and whether we could make more use of them.
In the White Paper published on 10 December we have made it clear that while some respondents to the Green Paper consultation supported the principle of lump sum payments for industrial injuries disablement benefits customers, others commented that there was a need for on-going support for some people injured or made ill by work, particularly for those with serious progressive illnesses. We believe that there remains a strong case for continuing to provide particular support for people whose disability arises from work and we think the current industrial injuries disablement benefits scheme is the best way to do this.
We have no plans for further consultation on the new scheme relating to lump sum payments for those suffering from mesothelioma resulting from exposure to asbestos at work.