MP joins pleural plaques compensation battle

Blaydon MP Dave Anderson has joined the battle to have compensation reinstated to people who develop pleural plaques.

Writing in the Evening Chronicle, the politician said he is "passionate" about the issue.

He claimed that many people in the industrial area he came from suffer health problems because of the conditions in which they were employed.

The politician remarked: "I was disgusted when the Law Lords overturned many years of the process of claiming compensation. It wasn't causing problems."

According to Mr Anderson, enough has been done to cast doubt on the medical opinion on which the government's decision was based.

He added that he is more than happy to co-sponsor a private members bill opposing the ban on compensation.

Pleural plaques indicates previous exposure to asbestos and is a form of scarring of the outer lining of the lungs.

While it is symptomless, many people who develop the condition fear they will go on to suffer complaints such as mesothelioma.