The Treasury says it cannot confirm how many people diagnosed with mesothelioma have received industrial injury compensation in each of the past five years.
In a written reply to Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson, Treasury Minister Chris Thomas said compensation may come from a range of sources, but the government does not hold data that identifies mesothelioma‑specific cases.
He said UK statutory mesothelioma schemes do not apply in the Isle of Man, and while some residents may receive payments linked to former UK employment, the Treasury does not know how many.
The Department also does not hold information on civil claims or settlements.
Injuries Benefits
For Manx industrial injuries benefits, Mr Thomas said medical conditions are not recorded in a format that allows mesothelioma cases to be extracted. Identifying them would require a manual review of around 170 casefiles, which he said would divert staff and delay benefit processing.
The number of people receiving any industrial injuries benefit in March each year was:
- 2026: 173
- 2025: 170
- 2024: 168
- 2023: 169
- 2022: 165
Mr Thomas added that other benefits, including incapacity benefit, disability living allowance, attendance allowance and income support, may also be paid to people with mesothelioma, but it is not operationally practical to identify those cases within the timeframe for answering the question.
The full written question can be found here.
