GORDON Brown has insisted his Government is still looking at whether to set up a compensation scheme for sufferers of an asebestos-related condition – but refused to say when a decision will be made.
Frustration is mounting that after 15 months of foot dragging, ministers have yet to announce whether to compensate sufferers of pleural plaques, a scarring of the lungs which can lead to deadly asbestosis and mesothelioma.
* Click here to read YEP political editor Mark Hookham's Westminster blog.Leeds has suffered more than most through the use of asbestos, partly due to the work of the JW Roberts asbestos factory in Armley.
Two years ago the House of Lords backed the insurance industry's decision to stop paying compensation to people who develop pleural plaques.
Following pressure from Labour backbenchers, the Government drew up a consultation paper proposing a "no fault" payout scheme, which would make a fixed payment, of around £5,000, to the estimated 6,500 people already diagnosed with pleural plaques before the Law Lords judgement.
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