To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has paid to the legal firm Nabarro for handling issues related to compensation to miners for (a) chest diseases, (b) vibration white finger and (c) miners’ knee. (317257)

The amount of legal fees the Department has paid to Nabarro for handling compensation to miners in respect of the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation (BCRDL), Vibration White Finger Handling Arrangements (VWF) and for Miners Knee Group Litigation as at 10 February 2010 is shown as follows:

These figures are exclusive of VAT and disbursements.

BCRDL fees include representation in the largest personal injury action in the UK over a 12 year period and the VWF fees cover an 11 year period. The Miners Knee Litigation fees cover a period from 2003-04 to date and primarily relate to the Department’s obligations for document disclosure.

For the BCRDL and VWF the figures do not include the costs of defending individual court actions.