A NEW fund for mesothelioma sufferers will end an injustice that’s left hundreds dead and the people of the North-East high and dry, the Government claims. Joe Willis reports.

THE shipbuilding industry of the North-East had brought jobs and opportunities - but earning a salary from a hard day’s work can bring with it hidden dangers, says Minister of State for Work and Pensions Mike Penning.

One of those dangers - the exposure to asbestos - had devastated families across the region, he adds.

Despite being banned in 1999, people are still living with the toxic effects of asbestos, with many battling unsuccessfully for years for compensation.

Between 1990 and 2005, 2,000 North-Easterners lost their lives to the aggressive cancer mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos.

“It’s particularly endemic in areas with heavy industry,” says Mr Penning.

“It’s a crippling disease, which can take 40 and 50 years to present symptoms, but once diagnosed leaves victims with just months to live.”

Mr Penning suggests more than 300 sufferers every year struggle to find a relevant party to sue for damages because their ex-employer’s become insolvent or insurance records have gone missing.

“It's a serious issue that’s sadly been ignored by successive governments - until now,” he adds.

“After hard negotiations with the insurance industry, I’m pleased to say that from this month anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma since July 2012 will be able to apply for compensation worth up to £123,000.

"The families of loved ones will also be able to apply posthumously.”

According to the minister, the scheme represents a major breakthrough for the many victims of this terrible disease.

“Politicians and the insurance industry have for years ignored the plight of the innocent victims of this awful disease. It will end years of injustice that has left many tragic victims and their families high and dry.”

Experts believe the nation is approaching a high-water mark of diagnosed cases, with the peak expected to arrive in 2016.

Mr Penning claims more than 3,500 families will benefit over the next ten years from the £380m package.

“Until now sufferers have at best scraped a few thousand pounds from statutory schemes,” he says, adding that by striking a deal with the insurance industry, the government had secured substantially higher packages of support that would help 800 people or their families in 2014 - and 300 every year after that. Claimants will also get £7,000 towards legal expenses.

The minister says cancer is a “terrible and horrid disease”.

But when it’s contracted in the course of earning a living, it’s all the more difficult to comprehend, he adds.

“The hard work of the people of the North-East has helped Britain ride the waves - and make it the country it is today.

“I would urge victims of mesothelioma to apply to this fund. While it will never replace a loved one, it will hopefully at least go some way towards getting the justice hard-working families deserve.”

ROGER Maddocks is a specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell solicitors in Newcastle who represents many victims of mesothelioma.

He says the scheme is good news for those mesothelioma victims who are eligible who may previously have struggled to trace the relevant employers’ liability insurers and may have missed out on the compensation they deserve.

“The scheme is not perfect as victims will only receive 80 per cent of the average compensation that they would be entitled to in a civil claim and it only applies to those diagnosed after 25 July 2012,” says Mr Maddocks.

“But it is better than the situation we had before when they received nothing.”

The solicitor says it was regretable the scheme did nothing for victims of other asbestos related disease, such as lung cancer, who cannot trace the relevant employers insurers.

But he adds: “It is now crucial that the Government gets the scheme up and running as soon as possible.

“Mesothelioma is a terrible and aggressive illness but there is little detail available about how or when people eligible can apply. It is important that those suffering are not left waiting any longer.”

Mr Maddocks says it takes decades from the initial exposure to asbestos for symptoms of a related illness to appear, but once they do the consequences are devastating for those families affected.

“Through no fault of their own they are forced to suffer a horrendous terminal illness and it is only fair that they receive the appropriate compensation.”

For more information on the fund, visit www.mesoscheme.org.uk