The Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers’ Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 - screening

The Pneumoconiosis, etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 makes provision for lump sum compensation payments to individuals who have one of five dust-related respiratory diseases and are unable to claim damages from employers (because they have gone out of business) and who have not brought any action against another party for damages. This is known as the ‘1979 Scheme’.

The Pneumoconiosis, etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Specified Diseases and Prescribed Occupations) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 makes changes to re-align the definitions of certain specified diseases in relation to the 1979 Scheme with the definitions of the corresponding prescribed diseases set out in Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) legislation. To achieve this, the list of specified diseases for the purpose of the 1979 Scheme will be amended to include “Unilateral Diffuse Pleural Thickening” and “Asbestos-Related Primary Carcinoma of the Lung”, thereby widening the scheme to include customers with these diseases who meet the eligibility criteria.