Relatives of those who suffer from asbestos-related diseases will find it easier to claim government compensation in the North under legislation being considered today.
The Welfare Reform Bill will allow dependants to claim from a special fund administered by the Department for Social Development and relax the criteria for claiming.
Hundreds of workers have already died after contracting crippling lung diseases, leaving family struggling to cope.
Chairman of the Justice for Asbestos Victims lobby group, Brian Lee, said it was a welcome step.
"Hopefully people and their families will benefit from this. They don't have a good quality of life at present so this money that they get will be a help," he said.
"This will help people to get a car or some form of transport and will make life a lot easier."
The aid includes those who worked in the housing industry but are unable to claim against a former employer.
Onset of the disease can be delayed by up to 40 years. By that time many employers are gone.
It is caught using asbestos building materials which were extensively used in the past.