Widow's Anger at Asbestos Payout

On 21st December the Shields Gazette followed up its earlier story when it reported that a South Tyneside widow had blasted a £1,800 increase in asbestos bereavement compensation as "a slap in the face".

Anne Craig, from St Joseph's Court, Hebburn, received £10,000 in compensation after her husband David died from mesothelioma in February 2002. She says she finds it "shocking" that people in Scotland receive tens of thousands of pounds more in compensation. Her comments follow the Government's decision to increase bereavement compensation by £1,800 in England and Wales, to £11,800 whereas Scottish widows and widowers of mesothelioma victims receive up to £30,000 compensation for bereavement.

Mrs Craig has backed a campaign by Newcastle-based Thompsons Solicitors to bridge the compensation gap between England, Wales and Scotland.

She said: "This announcement is like a slap in the face for the families of people who have died from asbestos diseases." "No amount of money can bring David back, but the level of compensation paid for bereavement should reflect the loss suffered." It is unjust that people in Scotland are receiving more compensation than those in England and Wales."It should be the same system across the UK."

Mr Craig, a super-fit cyclist, was just 54 when he died from the disease he contracted after working as an electrician at Swan Hunter, Wallsend.But he did not discover he had the killer disease until more than 30 years after his initial exposure to asbestos dust.

Ian McFall, head of asbestos policy at Thompsons Solicitors, has slammed the £1,800 increase in compensation for bereavement in England and Wales as "an insult. It fails to address the widening gap between the way the law treats asbestos victims, compared to the more humanitarian approach of the law in Scotland."

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/Widows-anger-at-asbestos-payout.3614264.jp