Debate contribution: Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on .
- MLA
- Mr Gordon Lyons
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 23 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5637281
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The regulations are part of the annual uprating package. They increase the lump sum compensation that is payable by the scheme under the Mesothelioma, etc., Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. As with the previous motions, we do this every year. It has the same benefits as the uprating order. The benefits have been increased in line with the rate of inflation — by 3·8% for the year 2026-27 — mirroring the percentage increase to the industrial injuries benefit in the main uprating order. I do not intend to go into the detail and history of the scheme; I have done that before. If anyone is interested in that, they can read the Hansard reports from previous years. I ask that Members support the motion.
I thank the Committee for its work and the Chairman for his comments. I can assure him that, after two years in this job, I have learnt how to say "mesothelioma" as well as "pneumoconiosis" and "semiquincentennial". That is something for others who take this job after me to look forward to. The Member has set out quite clearly the impact of the changes that we are going to make and the reasons for them, so I ask the House to support them today.
217 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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