Northern Ireland will increase lump-sum payments for people diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma by 3.8% from Wednesday 1 April 2026. The Department for Communities has made the statutory rule and says the change aligns awards with this year’s inflation measure used for the GB schemes. (hansard.parliament.uk)

The rule applies to people first diagnosed on or after 1 April 2026. Where the first diagnosis date is unclear, claims made on or after that date will qualify. It also covers dependants of people who die with mesothelioma on or after 1 April 2026. Awards continue to be set by age at diagnosis (or age at death for dependants), with higher sums for younger claimants. (nidirect.gov.uk)

Why it matters locally is stark. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland reports 48 deaths from mesothelioma in 2022, a reminder that the disease still takes a heavy toll here decades after peak asbestos use. (hseni.gov.uk)

Families often need quick, practical guidance. NI Direct confirms claims usually must be lodged within 12 months of diagnosis or death, with the Industrial Injuries Branch aiming to pay most awards within six weeks. Medical evidence confirming diffuse mesothelioma caused by asbestos is required; no fresh examination is typically needed. (nidirect.gov.uk)

The regulation also refreshes the payment tables within the 2008 scheme so the new rates are hardwired into law for eligible claims from April. Separate tables set out sums for surviving spouses, partners and other dependants when no claim was made in life. (nidirect.gov.uk)

Ministers in London have confirmed the parallel GB regulations rise by the same 3.8% from 1 April 2026, maintaining parity across the schemes. In the Lords, the DWP set the increase in line with September 2025 CPI and noted the step supports those unable to pursue civil damages promptly. (hansard.parliament.uk)

Safety bodies say policy changes must go hand in hand with prevention. HSENI has warned against complacency over asbestos at work, pointing to the continuing risk in older public buildings, factories and homes-issues that still resonate across Northern Ireland’s towns and rural communities. (hseni.gov.uk)

For households facing a new diagnosis this spring, the message is simple: gather medical paperwork, note the exact diagnosis or date of death, and contact the Industrial Injuries Branch to start the claim on or after 1 April 2026. The Assembly’s Communities Committee considered the change in January; the scheme update now moves from process to pay-outs. (niassembly.tv)