A campaign for a simple change to the law so all victims of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos at work are treated equally is to be debated in Parliament next week.
Around 5,000 people die from cancers caused by asbestos at work each year and it is still the biggest workplace killer in Great Britain, despite being banned more than 25 years ago.
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), which is working with the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum, has joined forces with MP Douglas McAllister to call for the change.
“Not all victims of cancers caused by exposure to asbestos are treated the same when it comes to compensation,” said Daniel Easton, from APIL, who is an expert in asbestos disease cases.
“This year marks 20 years since the Compensation Act allowed sufferers of mesothelioma cancer caused by asbestos exposure to receive full compensation if they can trace just one of their former employers.
“But victims of asbestos-related lung cancer, which is incredibly similar to mesothelioma, and caused by exposure at work, are not entitled to full compensation if they cannot trace all of the responsible employers, or the employers’ insurers. It’s desperately unfair and it’s time to right a wrong and change the law.”
West Dunbartonshire Labour MP Mr McAllister will raise the campaign during an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Monday 16 March.
Mr McAllister said: “My constituency is among the UK’s worst hotspots for deaths linked to a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos at work, with more than 340 deaths since 1980.
“The Compensation Act 2006 made it easier for people diagnosed with mesothelioma to claim full compensation, with the need to find just one negligent employer rather than them all. But the Act does not apply to those suffering from asbestos-related lung cancer, and this injustice needs addressing so there is full and fair compensation for these victims.”