The British government has decided not to restore compensation for victims of pleural plaques, a scarring of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure.
The York Asbestos Support Group had been advocating for the Law Lords to overturn a decision to block insurance company payouts to people with pleural plaques.
The Lords, however, stood by their decision that asbestos victims should not receive compensation until or unless they later develop full-blown diseases like mesothelioma. Instead, pleural plaque victims will be offered £5,000, paid for by taxpayers.
The support group is angry about this decision, and a spokeswoman said that many mesothelioma victims will never have a chance to recover compensation, as claims cannot even be investigated until patients are diagnosed, and the disease sometimes progresses quickly.
Before the Lords made the decision to block payout for pleural plaques in 2007, the awards expedited later claims for more serious asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, as claims could be easily revived and compensation could be awarded quickly.
A York government representative said that he was unaware of any government plans to block the proposals to change the law, and that he believes that employers and their insurers should pay compensation, not the taxpayers.
A spokesman from the Ministry of Justice stated that they are intending to publish a response to a paper on pleural plaques before summer recess begins.
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