http://www.roberttarren.co.uk Robert Tarren Solicitors Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:22:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Government was questioned twice in as many days last week about whether pleural plaques will be considered a disease worthy of compensation, with Gordon Brown quizzed about progress on a decision during Prime Minister's Questions yesterday (6 January). It has been 27 months since pleural plaques victims were denied compensation ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/government-pressed-for-a-decision-on-pleural-plaques/ The Association of British Insurers, some of whose members do themselves charge solicitors fees for sending them cases, claim that the level of costs in personal injury claims is out of all proportion partly because the payment of referral fees is pushing up those costs. Referral fees are once again ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/referral-fees-and-solicitors-costs/ It has been said the best form of disinfectant is sunlight. It is good news that the BBC Money Box programme has recently run a piece on insurers' practice of third party capture. This involves the insurer of the guilty party making speedy (unrequested) contact with the injured victim of the accident, ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/pressure-on-injury-victims/ A recent house of Lords judgment confirmed an old legal maxim.  Mr Gray was a passenger in the Ladbrook Road Train Crash in October 1999. Although not badly hurt physically he subsequently developed severe post traumatic stress disorder and depression. In August 2001 he was involved in an altercation and, as a result of his ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/lords-confirm-one-cannot-benefit-from-ones-own-wrongdoing/ The Government has announced week that osteoarthritis of the knee in coal miners is to be added to the Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit Scheme. This means that any miner who worked underground for more than ten years prior to 1986 and has developed osteoarthritis will be entitled to claim the benefit. It will ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/miners-knee-included-in-industrial-injuries-disability-scheme/ Four insurance companies, AXA, Norwich Union, Royal and Sun Alliance and Zurich asked the Scottish Court of Session to stop the Scottish Government bringing into force new laws which would reverse the House of Lords decision that pleural plaque is not a condition for which compensation can be recovered. This ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/insurers-fail-to-block-change-to-asbestos-law-in-scotland/ It is good news that the Damages (Asbestos - Related Conditions) (Scotland) Bill made its way through the Scottish Parliament restoring the right of those suffering from asbestos related pleural plaque to pursue claims for compensation, assuming they have been negligently exposed to asbestos. The Bill had strong support, being approved ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/66/ Today is National Mesothelioma Day. It is important to remember that many sufferers of this fatal cancer and their families still go seriously undercompensated because their former employers have gone out of business so there are no assets to meet a claim for compensation and the insurer responsible to pay ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/today-is-national-mesothelioma-day/ A bill is already moving through the Scottish Parliament to restore the right of those suffering pleural plaque to compensation for this unpleasant and stressful injury.   The bill will also provide for compensation for symptomless asbestosis and asbestos related pleural thickening sufferers.  This is excellant news for those affected in Scotland, ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/hope-for-pleural-plaque-sufferers/ Instead of strengthening a law which is there to protect injured workers the Government proposes to abolish a 1998 regulation requiring employers to hold onto their personal injury insurance details for 40 years.  The intention is to replace it with mere guidance.  This will only reduce the chance of finding ... http://www.roberttarren.co.uk/threat-to-injured-workers-ability-to-find-insurers/