Prime Minister soon to give announcement on Pleural Plaques

Gordon Brown has announced that there will be an announcement “very soon” in response to the House of Lords ruling on pleural plaques.

In October 2007 the House of Lords decided that pleural plaque sufferers should no longer be entitled to pursue compensation claims. Pleural plaques are a permanent scarring of the outer lining of the lung. This scarring rarely causes symptoms however those diagnosed with pleural plaques can suffer serious anxiety. The pleural plaques indicate that a person has been exposed to asbestos. They worry about the increased risk that they may go on to develop a deadly asbestos related illness such as mesothelioma or lung cancer.

When questioned by MP Mick Clapham about overturning this unfortunate ruling the PM replied “It is very important that we get a resolution following the court judgement on pleural plaques”. He continued that “The Secretary of State for Justice has been looking at this matter and talking to his colleagues right across Government about the implications of what we can do and I can assure him there will be an announcement very soon”

John Pickering & Partners LLP had been pro-active in fighting the test case to deny sufferers the compensation they deserve, and also, after the House of Lords decision have lobbied to restore the right for compensation for those affected by pleural plaques.

About John Pickering and Partners LLP- Specialist industrial disease compensation solicitors.

John Pickering and Partners LLP is a niche legal practice that has represented Claimants in the leading asbestos "test cases" in the last ten years. The firm represented Sylvia Barker in Barker v Corus (UK) Plc, a case that highlighted the legal tactics of employers and insurers trying to cut back their compensation liabilities to mesothelioma sufferers, and which prompted the amendment of the Compensation Act 2006 to ensure full compensation for mesothelioma claims. The firm represented two of the three Claimants in the Fairchild appeal, in which the insurance industry tried unsuccessfully to block compensation altogether for mesothelioma sufferers unable to identify which of two or more sources of asbestos exposure had caused their illness.

The firm represented Alice Jefferson, a mesothelioma sufferer, whose illness and compensation claim against Cape Asbestos were featured in the important documentary "Alice: A Fight For Life."   Shown by Yorkshire Television in July 1982, the programme was an important catalyst for legal change and public awareness of the plight of the victims of asbestos.

If you need advice about an asbestos related illness, contact us now for information about making a claim for compensation

Ruth Davies - Partner
John Pickering and Partners LLP
20 Clare Road
HALIFAX, HX1 2HX

Tel :    01422 345535
Fax: 01422 438500
Email@ rd@johnpickering.co.uk

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