Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the suspension of post-mortems on patients with suspected cases of industrial chest disease following the outbreak of covid-19 on the ability of the families of those patients to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

.Where a posthumous claim is made for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, any relevant medical evidence will be considered to help determine eligibility for benefit. The dependants of the deceased may submit supporting evidence they feel is relevant, including medical evidence which suggests a diagnosis, even where this is not confirmed. In addition, healthcare professionals will contact the deceased’s GP or hospital specialist, to obtain further evidence if this is required, as part of their assessment of the claim.