New Scheme for Mesothelioma Claimants in The Netherlands
A new government-funded scheme will be launched in Holland on January 1, 2003 which is intended to facilitate compensation payments to mesothelioma claimants. The Dutch Asbestos Victims’ Group has been lobbying for such a scheme for seven years. Solicitor Bob Ruers, an asbestos specialist, says: "This is fantastic news which will mean that 90% of the people who satisfy the requirements will receive a lump sum payment of 15,000 Euros (approximately $15,000) from the Government within a few weeks of making their claim. There is no obligation for them to pay this money back even if they are later awarded compensation by the Asbestos Institute, a government body, or by a court. Although the Government will try to recoup its expenditures from negligent employers, the claimant will be paid regardless."
The scheme will apply to people who:
have been diagnosed with mesothelioma;
can show they were employed (e.g. were not exposed to asbestos environmentally);
and whose profession is recognised as one in which occupational exposure to asbestos occurred.
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October 2, 2002
