The Department for Communities has made regulations to increase lump‑sum compensation under the 1979 pneumoconiosis scheme by 3.8% from April 2026. The instrument is the Pneumoconiosis, etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, brought forward as part of the annual social security up‑rating package for 2026/27. The department’s screening note confirms the 3.8% figure based on CPI to September 2025 and that the pneumoconiosis scheme is included in this round. (communities-ni.gov.uk)
Commencement is set for 1 April 2026, but the Statutory Rule uses the standard formulation that it will take effect the day after it is affirmed by the Assembly if that date falls later. The Committee for Communities considered the SL1 for these Regulations on 8 January 2026, indicating the affirmative procedure applies, and similar pneumoconiosis instruments were affirmed by the Assembly in March 2024. (niassembly.tv)
Two headline amounts change in the body of the Regulations. The minimum payable to a dependant and the amount where death results from diffuse mesothelioma each rise to £4,248 (previously £4,092). Where pneumoconiosis is accompanied by tuberculosis, the specific payment increases to £8,788 (from £8,466). These sums flow from the 3.8% uprating rounded to the nearest pound as set out in the Statutory Rule (S.R. 2026 No. 24).
Beyond these headline figures, the Schedule to the 1988 Payment of Claims Regulations is replaced, updating both tariff tables so that all bands for sufferers and dependants reflect the 3.8% increase. Awards will therefore vary by assessed disablement and age in line with the revised tables. The department’s screening document confirms the 3.8% uprate for 2026/27. (communities-ni.gov.uk)
Eligibility timing is prospective. The amendments apply only where a person first satisfies the statutory conditions for a payment on or after the date the Regulations come into operation. In practice, this means the relevant date is the assessed date of disablement for a living claimant or the date of death for a dependant claim. Earlier cases remain on the previous year’s rates and are not automatically topped up by this change.
The scheme itself derives from the Pneumoconiosis, etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979. It provides lump‑sum payments for specified dust‑related diseases where civil damages are unavailable, with the specification of diseases updated in 2024 to align with industrial injuries definitions, including unilateral diffuse pleural thickening and asbestos‑related primary carcinoma of the lung. (communities-ni.gov.uk)
Parity with Great Britain is maintained. The Department for Communities notes that NI social security payments are generally aligned with GB, and the UK Department for Work and Pensions has laid equivalent 2026 pneumoconiosis uprating Regulations for Great Britain, also taking effect from 1 April 2026. (communities-ni.gov.uk)
For advisers and claims handlers, the immediate actions are procedural. Check the ‘first satisfies’ date before assuming the new tariff applies; ensure medical evidence or death certification supports the timing; and prepare to apply the revised tables from 1 April 2026 or from the day after Assembly affirmation if later. Claimants near the cut‑off should be advised that lodging a form after 1 April does not override an earlier entitlement date. The Committee has already scrutinised the SL1, so formal affirmation should be scheduled in plenary ahead of implementation. (niassembly.tv)