Govt criticised over asbestos-related illness stance

The government has been criticised over its current stance on compensation for sufferers of the asbestos-related illness pleural plaques.

According to the ChronicleLive, people living with the condition - which is a form of scarring of the outer lining of the lungs - have contacted the new justice minister Kenneth Clarke to see if he will look again at the issue.

However, his government department has refused to make any commitments.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "We are in the very early stages of a new government and this is not an issue on which ministers have yet taken a view."

Reacting to this, ex-welder Terence McCarty - who himself has pleural plaques - said the damage caused by the medical complaint will not go away.

He added that while the one-off payments proposed by the previous government were a step in the right direction, the tax payer should not have to foot the bill for this.

Rather, insurance firms should be made to provide the money, Mr McCarty suggested.

As well as pleural plaques, asbestos can lead to more serious medical complaints such as the cancer mesothelioma.