UK residents exposed to asbestos will be assisted in bringing claims against their insurer under a range of measures announced by the UK Ministry of Justice.

The measures follow UK Government consultation over a 2007 House of Lords ruling which prevented compensation to victims of pleural plaques.

Pleural plaques are a lung condition caused by asbestos that is generally harmless and not linked to the fatal asbestos-related disease mesothelioma.

The new measures do not overturn the Law Lords’ ruling, which found the condition did not entitle victims to compensation, but instead provide a number of support functions where entitlement does exist.

Entitled victims include sufferers of mesothelioma, asbestosis, pneumoconiosis and asbestos-related lung cancer.

The plan includes a payment of £5000 ($8576) to people who had begun legal claims for compensation for pleural plaques at the time of the House of Lords ruling.

Other measures include an office set up to assist asbestos victims to trace their insurer, while a liability insurance bureau will be established to act as a fund of last resort where insurance records cannot be traced.

Mesothelioma sufferers will have access to increased upfront payments, while a working group including lawyers and insurers will seek to streamline compensation claims to reduce processing time.

Legislative changes will further seek to clarify law and simplify the process of bringing claims against the insurers of companies which no longer exist.