Some 19 law firms each received more than £10m in fees for handling claims on behalf of former coal miners who contracted lung disease in the course of their work, parliamentary records show.

More than 500 firms handled at least one claim for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) under the government’s coal health compensation scheme, according to records added to the House of Lords library at the end of November.

These firms were paid a total of £1bn for handling claims under the COPD scheme. Figures for the vibration white finger scheme, which ran alongside the COPD scheme, are not available.

The five firms that earned the most from the COPD scheme were Doncaster firm Keypoint Law (formerly Beresfords) (£135m); national firm Thompsons (£123m); Cardiff firm Hugh James (£103m); Yorkshire firm Raleys (£83m); and Newcastle firm Mark Gilbert Morse (£59m).

In response to parliamentary questions from Labour peer Baroness Liddell on 21 November, energy minister Lord Marland said that he expected all outstanding COPD claims to be settled by mid-2011. He said that 592,000 claims were received under the COPD scheme, of which 134 remained to be finalised, while 11 were awaiting offer in full and final settlement or denial.