£10,700 against £17,700: the gap that closes today for bereaved families
What happened
On 31 October 2026, the Department for Work and Pensions announced a change to how bereaved families are paid under two government compensation schemes for people harmed by asbestos and other dust-related diseases. The change took effect the same day. The two schemes are the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 scheme and the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme. Here was the problem. If a worker made a claim and was paid while they were alive, they received one amount. If the worker died before claiming, and a dependant - usually a husband, wife or partner - claimed instead, the payment was reduced. In 2025, the average payment to workers with asbestos- or dust-related diseases was about £17,700. The average payment to dependants where the worker had died before claiming was about £10,700. That is a gap of roughly £7,000. From 31 October 2026, dependants of eligible workers who died before claiming receive the full amount the worker would have been entitled to. Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, said families 'should not then face a financial penalty because of that loss'. Melanie Ward, the UK Government Minister for Scotland, said: 'I'm glad that from today, the UK Government is putting an end to this injustice.' The change follows an independent legal review. The Northern Ireland scheme, run by the Department for Communities, is expected to make similar changes later, though no date has been given.
Why this matters
Asbestos-related diseases have a cruel feature built into them. They take a very long time to appear. Someone who breathed in asbestos fibres at work in their twenties might not become ill until their sixties or seventies. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen, is strongly linked to asbestos and can appear decades after exposure. By the time a diagnosis arrives, the illness often moves quickly. That combination - a long delay, then a fast decline - is exactly why the old rule hurt. A person might be diagnosed, start finding out about compensation, and die before a claim was completed. Their husband or wife would then claim, and receive thousands of pounds less, purely because of the timing of a death. There is nothing in that difference that reflects how badly someone was harmed. It reflects paperwork and luck. The reform also replaces older top-up payments with a single award structure, which makes the schemes simpler to understand. Anyone who has tried to work out what they are entitled to during a bereavement will recognise why simpler matters. Campaigners, including the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum UK, pressed on this disparity for more than a decade. That is worth noting, because it is a reminder that these changes are rarely spontaneous. Groups of ordinary people, many of them bereaved themselves, kept raising it until it was fixed.
What the evidence actually says
The DWP's own figures are the clearest way to see what has changed, and the department published worked examples. Under the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme, for a 60-year-old, a dependant's payment rises from £24,526 to £56,656. Under the 1979 scheme, for a 60-year-old with a disablement assessment of 31 to 40% at the 2026/27 rate, a dependant's payment rises from £21,011 to £34,062. Those are much larger jumps than the £7,000 average gap suggests. The reason is that the averages combine many different ages and circumstances, while the worked examples show specific cases. Both sets of figures are accurate; they are answering different questions. Now the limits, and these matter a great deal. **The change is not retrospective.** It applies only to new dependant claims made from 31 October 2026. Families who already received a reduced payment do not get a top-up. That will be hard to read for people who lost someone last year, and it is the single most important detail in this announcement. **The scale is modest.** The DWP expects around 300 families a year to benefit, at an estimated cost of between £2 million and £6 million a year. This is a targeted correction, not a large new programme. **It is England, Wales and Scotland for now.** Northern Ireland's scheme is run separately and similar changes are expected later, with no date set. The independent legal review that led to the change also recommended a clear 'relevant date' for working out awards, which the legislation addresses. One last point, from the Health and Safety Executive. Jane Lassey, its Director of Regulation, said: 'HSE's priority remains preventing future harm.' Compensation is what happens after the damage is done. Asbestos is still present in many older buildings in Britain, and the rules on managing it exist because the illness is still being caused.
Qurexa perspective
We will keep this short, because this story is mostly about money and justice rather than about what we do. The one honest connection is this. People living with mesothelioma and other advanced dust-related lung diseases are often very unwell and often at home. Breathlessness makes a trip to a pharmacy genuinely difficult, not merely inconvenient. Medicines may change frequently as symptoms are managed, which means more trips, not fewer. Qurexa delivers prescriptions across Lincolnshire, a county with a long industrial and agricultural history, and we see how much the practical load falls on families during a serious illness. Anything that reduces the number of errands a carer has to run during those months is worth having, whether that is delivery, a repeat prescription review with the pharmacy, or simply knowing who to ring. We would also say, plainly, that if you are in this situation the specialist help you need is not from us. Asbestos victim support groups, your clinical nurse specialist, and solicitors who specialise in industrial disease know far more than any delivery service about what you are entitled to. The practical advice below points to them.
Practical advice
If this affects your family, here is what to do. **If someone has died and you are a dependant, check the date.** The new, higher payments apply to new dependant claims made from 31 October 2026. If you have not yet claimed, this change is relevant to you. Do not delay on the assumption it will be there forever - schemes have time limits. **If the person is still alive and diagnosed, help them claim now.** This is the most useful thing in this entire article. A claim made by the person themselves, while they are alive, has always been the stronger route, and there may be other compensation available to them too. Starting early also means decisions are made while they can say what they want. **Get specialist help, and get it free.** Asbestos victim support groups exist across the UK and do not charge. They know these schemes in detail. Many trade unions also help former members. A solicitor specialising in industrial disease will usually offer a free initial assessment. **Know that government schemes are not the only route.** These two schemes pay where civil compensation from a former employer is not available - for example because the employer no longer exists. A specialist adviser can tell you which routes apply. **Write down the work history while you can.** Where they worked, when, what they did, who they worked for. This information is the backbone of any asbestos claim, and it becomes very hard to reconstruct later. Old payslips, union cards and photographs all help. **Ask your clinical nurse specialist about support.** Mesothelioma care in the UK usually involves a specialist nurse. They are often the best-informed person about local support, benefits and practical help, and asking costs nothing.
What to know
From 31 October 2026, dependants claiming under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 scheme and the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme receive the full payment the worker would have been entitled to, rather than a reduced amount. In 2025, workers averaged about £17,700 while dependants of those who died before claiming averaged about £10,700 - a gap of roughly £7,000. The DWP's worked examples show larger differences in individual cases: under the 2008 scheme, a 60-year-old dependant's payment rises from £24,526 to £56,656; under the 1979 scheme at a 31-40% disablement assessment, from £21,011 to £34,062. The reform also replaces older top-up payments with a single award structure, and follows an independent legal review. The crucial limitation: the change is **not retrospective**. It applies only to new dependant claims from 31 October 2026. Around 300 families a year are expected to benefit, at an estimated £2 million to £6 million a year. Northern Ireland's scheme, run by the Department for Communities, is expected to make similar changes later with no date announced. If a family member is alive and diagnosed, the most useful step is to help them claim now rather than waiting. Free specialist help is available from asbestos victim support groups and trade unions. Sources: GOV.UK (Department for Work and Pensions), 'Asbestos compensation injustice ended for bereaved families', 31 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/asbestos-compensation-injustice-ended-for-bereaved-families; Clydebank Post, 'Bereaved families to receive fair asbestos compensation due to Clydebank campaigners', October 2026, https://www.clydebankpost.co.uk/news/26554945.bereaved-families-receive-fair-asbestos-compensation/; Herald.Wales, 'Asbestos compensation increases for bereaved families in Wales', October 2026, https://herald.wales/national-news/health/asbestos-compensation-increases-bereaved-families-wales-october-2026/ This article is for general information and is not legal, financial or medical advice. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional, or from a solicitor or benefits adviser about your own claim.
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