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Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) Bill [HL]

My Lords, one of the amendments seems to say that some amount for medical research would be deducted from the damages awarded. If this involves taking money away from the claimant, I would be strongly opposed to it. I am not sure that it would comply with human rights legislation. Perhaps the Minister could comment on that. Certainly, it would be a worrying development if that were to be the case. However, I share a concern that the noble Lord has expressed on several occasions. I sympathise with his concern that lawyers should not profit excessively from these arrangements. His amendment seeks to tease out from the Government how they feel arrangements should be made to prevent lawyers making excessive profits. I would be very reluctant to see anything that seemed to deduct damages from the claimant or victim as a result of the noble Lord’s amendments.