16th April 2007

National Asbestos Campaign

Clear Answers' lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors have launched a campaign in an attempt to seek justice for the families of thousands of asbestos sufferers throughout the UK.

Clear Answers' lawyers are a demanding a change in the law because asbestos sufferers and their families in England and Wales are receiving substantially less in compensation than their Scottish counterparts.

In Scotland bereavement payments have reached £30,000 for widows of the deceased with bereavement compensation of between £10,000 and £15,000 each being awarded to other family members.

In England and Wales bereavement compensation payments are fixed by the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 and are set at a maximum of £10,000 which is only paid to the husband or wife of the deceased.

Unjust Difference

Clear Answers' lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors have twenty three offices throughout the country and want to see a change in the law so that compensation payments throughout the UK are brought into line with those in Scotland.

Lawyer for Clear Answers' Solicitors, Eamonn McDonough said: "The law must be changed to ensure families in England and Wales are entitled to the same level of compensation for bereavement as the equivalent family in Scotland."

"The present law means a widow in Swansea who lost her husband to mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos at work would receive just £10,000 for bereavement while a widow in Clydeside whose husband died from the same disease could receive up to £30,000 more."

He adds "10,000 compensation for bereavement is a derisory sum for the grief caused by the death of a close family member. Whole families suffer terribly when they lose a loved one to mesothelioma. They carry the emotional burden with them for the rest of their lives."

Scottish Process Easier

Mesothelioma is a fatal disease caused by exposure to asbestos which affects the lining of the lungs.

Approximately 2000 people a year throughout Britain are diagnosed with the disease for which there is no cure and it is expected that the number of asbestos related deaths will peak in 2015.

The Scottish Parliament recently changed the law in order to make the claims process easier for mesothelioma sufferers and their families. For more information about Clear Answers' lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors Justice for Asbestos Families Campaign visit
www.thompsons.law.co.uk/campaigns/justice-for-asbestos-families.htm.

Thompsons Solicitors National Asbestos Campaign has also received widespread media attention. To read two newspaper articles on our Justice for Asbestos Families Campaign click on the following links to the Western Daily Press and the South Wales Evening Post. In addition to this the campaign was also reported in the national news, to read this story click on the following link for the BBC.

Compensation Claim

Clear Answers' lawyers specialising in mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are able to offer further guidance on likely damages to anyone suffering from an asbestos-related illness, to the families of sufferers, or to anyone who suspects that they or a member of their family may be suffering from, or may have suffered from a work-related asbestos disease.

If you have a mesothelioma compensation claim and you decide to instruct Clear Answers to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for yourself. Telephone us now on 0800 783 9019 or complete one of our online claim enquiry forms.

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