AddThis SmartLayers

Minister acts on Argus"wake up call"

The South Wales Argus’ 18-month Justice for Miners campaign has taken a huge step forward after new energy minister Peter Hain revealed he is to propose an “Argus-style” solution.

The campaign focuses on the problems faced by ex-miners claiming compensation for work-related chest diseases.

Mr Hain responded to a front page open letter to him on the day of hisappointment by travelling to Newport last week to meet Argus editor GerryKeighley and deputy editor Kevin Ward.

He said the Argus campaign had acted as a “wake-up call” for the government.

More than 20,000 former miners or their widows are trying to win compensation.

But they are facing waits of up to five years for their cash because of the complexity of the legal agreement between government and unions, delays caused by lawyers and doctors, and the slowness of testing procedures.

More than 1,000 ex-miners have died since the Argus launched its campaign.

The paper has been calling for immediate £10,000 interim payments to allvalidated claimants, with paperwork and further claims sorted out later.

More than 25,000 readers have signed a petition backing the campaign.

Mr Hain said he could not guarantee £10,000 payments to all, but revealed he was about to announce a new “fast-track” scheme inspired by the Argus campaign.

He said: “There is a need to get interim money quickly into people’s pockets – the retired miners or their widows who have been jammed up in the system.

“The Argus campaign has highlighted this. I think your campaign has kept the government on its toes.”

Mr Hain also wrote an open letter to Argus readers, in which he said he shared the aims of the Argus.

And he said if he failed to deliver he expected the Argus to “jump on my back”.

Deputy editor Kevin Ward said: “We were very encouraged by what Mr Hain had to say.

“At last we have a minister who is willing to listen to us and understand the aims of our campaign. We never felt we had that with Mr Hain’s predecessor Helen Liddell.

“This is not victory, but it is substantial progress. Mr Hain admits himselfthat if he fails to deliver he will have to face the consequences.”

Back to the campaigns index

Do you have a story for us?
Ring the HoldTheFrontPage newsdesk on
01332 291111 x6022, or e-mail us now