The Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) is a Government scheme that was set up in 2014 to provide compensation for people who have been exposed to asbestos in the UK and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, but who cannot trace their former employer or their insurers and so cannot make a civil compensation claim.
How is the DMPS funded?
The scheme is funded through a levy on the employers’ liability insurance industry. Active employers’ liability insurers pay an annual amount, based on their relative market share and this covers the payments made to applicants, administration costs and any costs associated with collecting the levy from insurers.
Latest statistics
At the end of last year, the Government released annual statistics about the scheme, for the last year spanning April 2021 to March 2022 and for the entirety of the scheme spanning April 2014 to March 2022.
Since the start of the scheme, there have been 2815 applications received, with 325 of these being in the last year. The success rate of applications over the last year was 74%, compared to 70% for the whole period the scheme has been run over. The total paid to applicants over the last year was £23.3 million and the total amount paid out since the start of the scheme was recorded at £254.9 million.
Applications have remained steady
The number of applications over the years has fluctuated slightly, as expected, for the first year of the scheme saw the highest number with 410 applications but since then, there has been a steady stream with between 305 and 375 people applying each year.
Last year the total number of applications received was 325 so it does not seem like the need for the scheme is diminishing.
Who is making applications?
As is the norm with asbestos compensation claims, the majority of applicants are male. This is because in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when asbestos was widely used, the types of work that put people at risk of developing mesothelioma tended to be carried out by men, for example, carpenters, plumbers, dockworkers and electricians.
The majority of applicants in the last year fell into the 70 to 74 years of age bracket, however, there was an increase in the number of applications from those in the 80-84 range from previous years. There is no age restriction for applicants, however, the age that someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma determines how much they are awarded if their application is successful.
What is the claim worth?
For the first 10 months of the scheme, the regulations stated that successful applicants would be paid 80% of what they could have expected to have received, had they been able to pursue a successful civil compensation claim against their former employer(s). This was increased to 100% in February 2015. The average payout in the last year was £144,000.
The current tariff for the scheme is:
| Age at diagnosis | Scheme Payment | Age at diagnosis | Scheme Payment | Age at diagnosis | Scheme Payment | Age at diagnosis | Scheme Payment |
| 40 & under | £271,120 | 53 | £223,265 | 66 | £175,410 | 79 | £127,555 |
| 41 | £267,439 | 54 | £219,584 | 67 | £171,729 | 80 | £123,874 |
| 42 | £263,758 | 55 | £215,903 | 68 | £168,048 | 81 | £120,193 |
| 43 | £260,078 | 56 | £212,221 | 69 | £164,366 | 82 | £116,511 |
| 44 | £256,396 | 57 | £208,540 | 70 | £160,685 | 83 | £112,830 |
| 45 | £252,715 | 58 | £204,859 | 71 | £157,004 | 84 | £109,149 |
| 46 | £249,034 | 59 | £201,179 | 72 | £153,323 | 85 | £105,468 |
| 47 | £245,353 | 60 | £197,498 | 73 | £149,641 | 86 | £101,786 |
| 48 | £241,671 | 61 | £193,816 | 74 | £145,960 | 87 | £98,105 |
| 49 | £237,990 | 62 | £190,135 | 75 | £142,279 | 88 | £94,424 |
| 50 | £234,309 | 63 | £186,454 | 76 | £138,599 | 89 | £90,743 |
| 51 | £230,628 | 64 | £182,773 | 77 | £134,918 | 90 & over | £87,061 |
| 52 | £226,946 | 65 | £179,091 | 78 | £131,236 |
Figures taken from https://www.mesoscheme.org.uk/payment-tarrif-2015-onwards/ and correct as of 16/01/2023
How can we help?
Whilst you do not need to instruct a solicitor to make a DMPS application, we would strongly recommend that you use a specialist asbestos disease solicitor to assist you with this. Making a claim through the scheme is not always as simple as completing the application form and as you can read here, where successfully pursued a DMPS claim for a client whose original application was refused.
The scheme allows for £7,000 to be paid to solicitors for legal costs. Whilst our costs when making claims through the scheme usually far exceed this, we never take more than this figure and our costs are capped at £7,000 in assisting clients to apply under the DMPS scheme.
In formal, legal claims for mesothelioma compensation, we guarantee that our clients will keep 100% of the compensation awrded in the eveny of claim succeeding, with nothing to pay if the claim failed.
If you require assistance in pursuing an application under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme, then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.