Hope for asbestos condition sufferers

Jul 22 2009by Dan Beavan, Daily Post

JUSTICE Secretary Jack Straw yesterday said the Government was giving “active consideration” to compensating sufferers of an asbestos-related disease but ruled out any announcement before Parliament returns from its summer recess.

He told MPs the Government was planning to make the UK a “global leader” in research and treatment of conditions caused by asbestos.

Legislation has already been passed in Scotland to allow sufferers of pleural plaques to claim compensation and a similar move is planned in Northern Ireland.

Mr Straw told MPs reports on the effects of the condition had been produced by the Chief Medical Officer’s expert adviser and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council following a House of Lords decision in 2007 which ruled that compensation should no longer be paid for the condition.

He said: “The Government will give further consideration to the issue of compensation for people diagnosed with pleural plaques before publishing a final response after the recess.”

Labour’s Stephen Hepburn said: “Will you give us an assurance here today that you will not accept a situation whereby pleural plaque sufferers whether they lodged their claim prior to the 2007 Law Lords judgement or after, will be treated any differently in terms of compensation whether they live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?”

Mr Straw said: “We are giving very active consideration to that.”

Democratic Unionist spokesman Nigel Dodds said: “Would it not be perverse if the only area that people couldn’t claim was in England and Wales when devolved regions have taken action to address this terrible injustice to those who suffer from pleural plaques?”

Mr Straw said: “It’s the essence of devolution that different decisions can be made.”