A passionate debate took place in the Houses of Parliament on 7th January on the Mesothelioma Bill which now goes for Royal Assent. Doctors say that mesothelioma is the worst type of cancer you can get. It is swift and painful. As asbestos is now being detected in schools, the disease is increasing amongst teachers.
Approximately 2,500 people die from mesothelioma every year in the UK and it occurs following exposure to the deadly asbestos fibres which are still present in many buildings. A number of MPs from all sides of the House argued for the need to find a cure saying that research for this cancer is shamefully
underfunded. Bowel cancer research gets £22 million, breast cancer research gets £41 million and leukaemia research £32 million. Mesothelioma in contrast receives just £1.4 million. The UK has the highest rate of the disease in the world and over 50,000 will die over the next 30 years if no cure is found.
Asbestos Victims Support Groups around the country hoped that the Mesothelioma Bill would remedy a gross injustice resulting from ‘insurers’ wanton destruction of employers’ liability insurance records over many decades. Nearly 6,000 innocent mesothelioma sufferers, negligently exposed to asbestos, whose employers were no longer trading and who were unable to trace their insurers, were denied justice.
The Bill, as discussed in Parliament, provides for an administrative ‘tariff’ scheme, which pays 75% of average compensation based upon age, to mesothelioma sufferers who can prove negligence. Only those mesothelioma sufferers diagnosed after 25th July 2012, the date the scheme was announced, are eligible to apply for a payment. Campaigners believe that the Bill should provide for eligibility from the date of the initial consultation in February 2010 and that it should provide 100% of average compensation to mesothelioma sufferers.
Whilst watching the debate on my TV I was surprised at the absence of so many MPs, particularly from Yorkshire, on what is a vital issue for many people. Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman was present and was able to speak from first-hand experience about his own brother’s death from mesothelioma. Many of the other MPs who spoke did us proud. The voting of MPs was as follows: 232 voted Yes for the compensation period to be backdated to 2010, with 303 against. The second vote for 100% compensation for victims was defeated by 286 votes to 247.
The outcome of the Mesothelioma Bill is not perfect and could have been better if a number of MPs had listened closely to our arguments. Tracey Crouch, who worked in insurance prior to being a Member of Parliament, has been very supportive to victims of mesothelioma. After the votes had been counted she said “it’s been a good day, but it should have been a great day”.
In November 2012 the lung cancer nurse specialists from all the hospitals in Yorkshire set up a support and practical advice group for people with mesothelioma and their carers from across the region. MESothelioma Support Yorkshire (MESSY) holds its meetings at the Park Plaza Hotel, Leeds (opposite the railway station, City Square), every 6 weeks on a Friday afternoon between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm. Two health care professionals are present, together with a legal representative. The first half of the meeting is based around a talk on an appropriate subject and the second half is informal during a break for refreshments. The next meeting is on Friday 7th February. If you would like to know more about MESothelioma Support Yorkshire (MESSY) and are interested in attending the meetings, please contact Pauline Brearley on Leeds 0113 2660922.
