Asbestos-linked victims 'abandoned'
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(UKPA)
The Government has been accused of "abandoning" tens of thousands of workers suffering from an asbestos-related disease after ministers decided not to overturn a legal ruling affecting compensation payments.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced that he would not change a Law Lords ruling that prevents sufferers of pleural plaques - a scarring of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos - claiming compensation.
Sufferers of the condition were denied compensation following a House of Lords ruling in 2007, and the Government has been consulting on whether to overturning the ruling.
Mr Straw said that on the basis of medical evidence received during the consultation, the Government was unable to conclude that the Law Lords decision should be changed or that an open-ended compensation scheme should be set up.
The minister announced that people who had already started a legal claim for compensation will be given a £5,000 payment, which campaigners estimated would affect 6,000 people.
The construction workers' union Ucatt accused the Government of "abandoning" sufferers and estimated that tens of thousands of workers will miss out on compensation.
It also complained that workers in England and Wales would miss out, while those in Scotland were not covered by the Law Lords ruling.
General secretary Alan Ritchie said: "The Government's decision is disappointing - most pleural plaques victims are being abandoned. It is simply wrong that an accident of geography will mean that pleural plaques victims in England and Wales will be barred from receiving compensation but those in Scotland will be free to claim full compensation."
The union said it "strongly disagreed" with the Justice Secretary's reliance on medical evidence provided by the Chief Medical Officer and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council.
Mr Ritchie added: "Pleural plaques victims will not disappear. Ucatt believes that all pleural plaques sufferers deserve justice. Sadly that was not achieved today. The campaign must continue so that justice will be achieved in the future."
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