The British Lung Foundation believes it is unacceptable that former miners have waited more than ten years for government compensation after developing the lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). A report by the Public Accounts Committee also found that more than 100,000 men are still waiting for settlements.
“The chronic lung disease COPD is an extremely debilitating illness which blights the lives of hundreds of thousands of ex miners who developed the condition as a result of exposure to coal dust,” says Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.
“The compensation system must be speeded up - it is unacceptable that people have had to wait up to ten years for their claims to be met and that some are still waiting - many now have to have oxygen and are too ill to care for themselves and some have sadly already passed away. With regard to allegations that solicitors who handled the claims double charged for their work, we urge the Law Society and solicitors themselves to act on the recent findings of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner and redress any alleged misconduct as a matter of urgency.”
To find out more about COPD, please click here. The commissioner's report is also available online.
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