CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed a Government decision to finally recognise a condition known as miner’s claw as an industrial disease.

Dupuytren’s contracture, an incurable condition common among former pitmen and which also affected ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, causes the fingers to curl over into a claw-like state, and can lead to amputation.

In May 2014, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) recommended that the Government recognise the condition as an industrial disease, but the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refused to do so.

The Durham Miners’ Association (DMA), with the help of MPs, unions and community groups, has been campaigning ever since to have the condition recognised, to enable thousands of former miners to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

In June, DMA secretary Alan Cummings, alongside City of Durham MP Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods, and North West Durham MP Laura Pidcock, travelled to London to meet DWP Minister Sarah Newton.

As part of this week’s budget, the Government announced that Dupuytren’s contracture will be added to the list of prescribed diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is payable.

The decision will come into effect in April 2019, and eligible claimants are expected to gain on average an extra £1,200 per year.

DMA Secretary Alan Cummings said: “We welcome the decision to finally recognise Dupuytren’s contracture as an industrial disease – but it is a disgrace that it has taken so long, and that there has been such resistance from this Government.

“It is a serious and debilitating condition for many people, affecting their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

“In the four-and-a-half years since the IIAC made this recommendation, many people have continued to struggle without the support they need, and some of our members have died while suffering from this disease.

“We are glad that those suffering from Dupuytren’s contracture will begin to receive help – it will make a real difference to their lives.

“We are thankful for the support we’ve received in this campaign – particularly from Laura and Roberta.”

Ms Pidcock said: “We should be in no doubt, this Government will try to get away with taking as much as they possibly can from our communities, including from those who’ve given their health and wellbeing to the coal industry. That is why it is imperative we fight these battles, and win these victories, which mean so much to those affected.

“The Government were wrong to deny former miners with dupuytren’s contracture the help they were entitled to in the first place, and now, they are simply doing the right thing.”

Dr Blackman-Woods added: “I am absolutely delighted that the Government has finally agreed to take the advice of the IIAC to add Dupuytren’s contracture to the list of known work-related injuries.

“Despite being accepted by the IIAC in 2014, the Government recently decided that Dupuytren’s contracture would not be recognised as an industrial disease. The DMA has campaigned tirelessly since 2014 to get this disease accepted as a work related injury, and I am so pleased that their hard work has paid off.

“Although it has taken many years of work to get to this point, I hope that this decision will make a difference to the many former miners and other workers in Durham and elsewhere affected by this debilitating disease.”