In a statement to the House of Commons last week, Justice Minister Jack Straw committed the Government to supporting research into asbestos-related diseases. The aim, he said, was for the UK to become a a global leader in research on the alleviation, prevention and cure of such diseases.
The Minister also made a commitment to speed up compensation claims for people who develop serious asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. He said this would include looking at the process for tracking and tracing employment and insurance records, as well as looking into the support given to people who are unable to trace such records.
However, in a blow to those with pleural plaques (asbestos-related scarring of the lungs), the Government has again delayed a decision on the issue of compensation until later this year while it considers two reports into the issue. (The campaign to get compensation for workers with pleural plaques became more urgent after a decision by the House of Lords two years ago which said that people who had developed the plaques were not entitled to compensation).
Thompsons has welcomed the announcement of funding for research (although they are seeking clarity about the amount of money committed). The firm also welcomed Government plans to examine the process for tracking and tracing the former employers and insurers of the victims of asbestos-related disease, but only if they lead to the setting up of an insurance fund of last resort, or Employers Liability Insurance Bureau modelled on the Motor Insurers Bureau uninsured drivers agreement (and see weekly LELR 102).
Thompsons continues to urge the Government to concentrate less on the medical evidence available, and instead face the fact that these workers who were negligently exposed to asbestos and whose lungs have been damaged require compensation urgently.