£5,000 pay-outs for lung disease victims

A new compensation scheme for victims of an asbestos related illness has finally got underway and could see many receive payouts of £5,000.

The money will be paid to sufferers of pleural plaques - a scarring of the lungs that can cause mesothelioma and lung cancer - who were diagnosed before 17 October 2007. On this day judges ruled that pleural plaques was not 'actionable damage', meaning those diagnosed later would not be eligible for compensation.

The ruling was later overturned in Scotland but the Labour government decided not to follow suit and was accused of abandoning future sufferers. It is hoped the new Government will reassess the verdict but when it has already failed to confirm funding for a £3m national centre for asbestos-related diseases promised by Labour, Reddish Vale Managing Director Roy Tindall is sceptical. He says, 'The new Government has a lot of work to do to convince those involved in any aspect of the asbestos industry that it means business.'

He continues that the decision to stop payouts to pleural plaque sufferers diagnosed after October 2007 leaves industrial workers, in the particularly those in the north of England, very vulnerable. He says, 'Diseases caused by asbestos exposure can take a long time for symptoms to arise and the decision to put a sell-by-date on compensation payouts is ludicrous! Workers in large parts of the North will be particularly affected because of its history of heavy industry like shipbuilding, carpentry, joinery, plumbing and engineering.'

Early pleural plaques sufferers can apply for £5,000 payouts by contacting the Ministry of Justice. Details about eligibility for the scheme and how to apply can be found at www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/pleural-plaques-compensation-scheme.htm or by calling the helpline on 0300 303 8150.

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