September 15, 2009
MP URGES MINERS TO CLAIM THOUSANDS OWED IN WRONG DEDUCTIONS
THOUSANDS of ex-miners could each be owed hundreds of pounds in wrongly charged fees, local MP John Healey said.
Mr Healey is already representing many former miners and their families who received payouts under the government’s Coal Health Compensation Scheme and has helped win back thousands of pounds in deductions improperly taken by solicitors.
But he said there was an estimated £100m yet to be repaid.
He said: “I want to urge anyone who thinks a cut may have been taken from their compensation to get in touch.
“Don’t be put off if you do not have all the paperwork or even if you can’t remember which solicitors dealt with your claim. I will do everything I can to help you get this money back. This money belongs to you, not the lawyers.”
The compensation scheme was set up by the government to help ex-miners suffering from respiratory disease and vibration white finger but it emerged lawyers wrongly took deductions from payouts even though legal fees were being met by the government.
A new report by Mr Healey’s Labour colleague, Bassetlaw MP John Mann, has revealed one in five claimants could have been improperly charged in this way.
In the Wentworth constituency nearly 10,000 people have received payments totalling over £50m – so hundreds of people owed deductions are yet to come forward.
The MP is taking action through the Legal Complaints Service, which has already recovered more than £1.5m from solicitors – an average repayment of £908, often including an extra amount for distress and inconvenience experienced.
- Read the fact sheet on how to claim back deductions from your miner's compensation.