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Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

We have no objection to the regulations. I wish to make a couple of points. First, I welcome the recognition that the 1948 regime no longer meets the needs of today, and the news that a discussion document will be published later in the year. Let us hope that it is not purely a discussion document and that there are some proposals—even if they are not that firm—so that at least we can have something to bite on and look at. My main point of substance, which applies both to these regulations and to the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order, is the amount by which the payment has been increased—the 2.7 per cent. There is increasing evidence from a variety of sources that the effective inflation rate—the real cost of living, if you like—for poorer people has gone up considerably more in recent years than the retail prices index generally. One only needs to think about the cost increases that poorer people face at the moment, particularly with regard to gas and electricity prices and the council tax. I do not think that many people in this country would consider that the rate of inflation was 2.7 per cent. I make the general point that many of the people affected by the regulations and the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order have very little money to spare.