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<p>Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) is payable to employed earners who
suffer disablement because of an industrial accident or through contracting a prescribed
disease as a result of their work. The underlying principle has always been that benefit
should be payable to workers employed under a contract of service.</p><p> </p><p>When
the Scheme was devised it was accepted that there would be practical difficulties
in including self-employed people because the scheme relies on employers to provide
evidence that an accident or exposure took place at work. Alongside this practical
issue, when the scheme was devised it was decided that self-employed people should
do so knowing that it is their responsibility to arrange insurance to cover themselves
for financial loss in the event of an industrial injury.</p><p> </p><p>However, if
a self-employed person has contracted Diffuse Mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos
in the United Kingdom they can still claim a lump sum payment from the 2008 Diffuse
Mesothelioma Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The government continually reviews the Scheme to
ensure that resources are targeted in the most appropriate way and that the scheme
remains relevant in the light of changes in the modern world of work, however there
are no plans to change the current position regarding self-employed workers.</p>
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