Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Plaid exposes compensation woes for ex-miners

More than 600 former miners in Wales died before receiving compensation for a condition caused after years of service to the coal industry, research carried out by Plaid Cymru has found.

The figures on the Vibration White Finger (VWF) compensation scheme were released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change following a Freedom of Information application by Plaid Cymru. The response from the Westminster Government department shows that 645 ex-miners died before receiving their compensation.

Vibration White Finger is most commonly caused by the repetitive and persistence use of power tools which leads to a deficiency in the supply of blood to the fingers and can cause numbness. The interrupted blood supply may also cause the fingers to go into spasm.  The condition, if not monitored, can develop into skin ulcers.
Many colliery workers would have developed the condition due to their use of pneumatic drills underground to mine coal.

A regional breakdown of compensation payments by Welsh Parliamentary constituencies show that more than £8.4 million was paid out to sufferers of VWF in the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency alone. Over £6 million was also paid out to ex-miners in the Llanelli constituency under the scheme.

In Preseli over £91, 000 was paid out and in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire over £55,000 by the Westminster government.

The VWF compensation scheme, along with the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) scheme, came about despite strong opposition in the courts from the then Labour Government in London. Under the COPD scheme, 3,253 former miners died while awaiting their compensation settlements.

After the Labour Government lost their case against the NACODS union in the High Court in January 1998 – less than 12 months after Tony Blair entered number 10 Downing Street – poor administration and insufficient resources in the claims handling department meant further delays in paying out money.

Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas said it was disgraceful that ailing former miners had to wait so long and, in some cases, die before money that was rightfully theirs was handed over by the Government in London.

The Mid and West AM said:
“A lot of ex-miners went to their death beds while the Government in London dragged its feet over paying out money under the vibration white finger and chest disease compensation schemes.

“In many cases the money owed to former miners in compensation was huge. The cash could have brought much relief and happiness to their lives by giving them the knowledge their families were financially secure after their deaths.

“The legal wrangles and then the inefficiencies and general feet-dragging in the compensation process meant that many former miners were denied the satisfaction of receiving compensation before death. That is a disgrace and something which should not be forgotten. It is only Plaid Cymru who can ensure people are not allowed to get away with such broken promises. ”

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas added:

“It is tragic our natural resources were used by others, while we have to come to terms with the aftermath of heavy industry.

“The previous Westminster Labour government’s treatment of former miners, many of whom were staunch Labour party supporters, was pitiful and shows that principles and promises can often be sacrificed very quickly by any Labour leadership after a successful election.

“Carwyn Jones and the minority Labour government are unable to represent the Welsh national interest on a UK stage and ensure justice for Wales.”

A report published in 2007 by the National Audit Office into the COPD scheme and the Vibration White Finger scheme concluded:

“When the final claims have been discharged the Department (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) will have settled more than three quarters of a million cases.

“This would be in itself a major achievement, but the Department might have been able to deliver the schemes more quickly and more cost effectively had it been better prepared at the time of the Court rulings and more particularly in the period of transition of responsibility from the Corporation.

“The Department produced limited strategic oversight or forward planning on how it would handle any resulting liability and insufficient resource was allocated to the task. This lack of preparation was to make the Department’s task significantly more difficult to administer, require substantial effort to put right, and cause frustration and upset to some claimants.”

ENDS

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