Guernsey Press

Sufferer vows to battle for asbestos cancer compensation

A MOTION to make people dying from asbestos-related illnesses the first funding casualties of the post-Covid era has been described as a ‘kick in the teeth’.

Published
Ian Goodwin, who suffers from mesothelioma, is urging deputies to stick with what had been agreed on compensation. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 28313848)

The States agreed last year that a lump sum payment should in future be given to people diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is an aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

At the time campaigners hailed the decision as an end to years of injustice and a chance for dignity and peace of mind.

The scheme was due to be rubber-stamped at next month’s States meeting, but two deputies from Policy & Resources have called for a delay so that it can be considered in context with other funding priorities following the coronavirus pandemic.

Deputies Jonathan Le Tocq and Jane Stephens want a fundamental review of all States expenditure in the light of the virus so that resources are focused on ‘priority areas’.

The mesothelioma compensation scheme will not be dropped without a fight.

Grandfather Ian Goodwin has the disease and is writing a letter to all deputies, urging them not to back down from their commitment.

‘I’m disappointed and upset with this idea to put to bed the mesothelioma compensation scheme.

‘It should have been brought in years ago and we were promised that it would happen.

‘They agreed a date, they agreed the principle, and now some want to renege on the deal, it’s a real kick in the teeth for other sufferers.

‘The scheme would give a better quality of life, it’s a terminal disease, there’s nothing that can be done once you’ve been diagnosed with it, and these people have worked all their lives, they’ve given their best and now they’re getting nothing back from it which is a real shame.’

Employment & Social Security has drawn up the proposals and it estimates it would cost the States up to £100,000 per year.

Deputy Matt Fallaize led the political campaign on behalf of parishioners and said the latest move from Policy & Resources was sending out the wrong signal.

‘I am not one of those who enjoys sticking it to the Policy & Resources Committee, but I’m afraid their proposal to defeat the compensation scheme is indefensible on every level.

‘Kicking the compensation scheme into the long grass is unnecessary, destructive and cruel. It would come as a brutal blow to sufferers of mesothelioma and their loved ones.’

Background to mesothelioma compensation

Guernsey delayed regulating the use of asbestos in the workplace and the island was relatively late to introduce a ban on the material.

Asbestos-related cancers can occur as many as 50 years after exposure and deaths are now thought to be reaching their peak, years after the widespread industrial use of the carcinogen between the 1950s and 1970s.

From 2005 to 2015, exposure to asbestos was officially the underlying cause of death in 19 cases in Guernsey and contributed in a further four cases.

However those numbers are thought to underestimate the real number of people affected.

While it can take decades to develop, when the symptoms emerge mesothelioma progresses rapidly and most die within a few years of being diagnosed.