MP joins lobby for asbestos payments (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

MP joins lobby for asbestos payments

7:40pm Tuesday 28th October 2008 in Bradford By Anika Bourley

Bradford asbestos campaigners including MP Terry Rooney backed a lobby of Parliament today demanding the re-instatement of compensation for sufferers of pleural plaques.

Campaigners are calling on the Government to overturn a House of Lords ruling which ended compensation The findings of a consultation on the issue which concluded on October 1 have yet to be published.

Jane Howie, of Bradford Workers’ Health Advice Team, said: “All through this campaign it has been increasingly coming to light that the reason the House of Lords judgment was made in the first place was because of the pressure from insurance companies, who are trying to shirk their responsibilities and wriggle out of paying asbestos victims who were exposed at times when the risks were well known by employers.”

The House of Lords ruling in October 2007 was welcomed by insurers but sparked outrage among MPs and campaigners.

While pleural plaques are themselves not a fatal condition, they are an indicator of asbestosis. An estimated 20 per cent of sufferers go on to develop fatal mesothelioma.

Mr Rooney said: “It has been a fantastic lobby with more than 200 people in the room from all over Great Britain.

“They are all demanding the re-introduction of compensation for pleural plaques and I am totally behind them.”