Norwich Evening News12 June 2007
A campaign to end the compensation lottery in asbestos-related deaths which sees bereaved families in Scotland entitled to tens of thousands of pounds more than those in England has been stepped up - thanks to support from a Norwich MP.Currently the level of compensation is set at £10,000 in England and Wales, whereas in Scotland, where compensation is decided by the courts, payments of up to £30,000 have been made to relatives.
Dr Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, is one of a number of MPs to have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament which urges the government to "act swiftly to ensure that those suffering from this deadly disease have the same rights in England and Wales as they do in Scotland".
Dr Gibson has been a vocal supporter of the Evening News's Asbestos Action Campaign, which was set up in 1997 to highlight the suffering caused by asbestos following the death of Norwich factory worker Malcolm Gardiner.The MP said today: "I support it wholeheartedly and hope it will get a huge number of signatures and influence the government."Dr Gibson has said it was appalling that "people who worked their fingers to the bone for this country" were suffering because of the type of work they did and urged the government to make compensation the same no matter where people lived.
Ian McFall, head of asbestos policy at Thompson's, said: "Bereavement compensation for families of those who have died from mesothelioma should be equal no matter where you were exposed to asbestos in the UK."
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