The
Government has paid out more than £200m to former miners in Wales suffering
from respiratory disease.
Energy
minister Brian Wilson announced the figure this week, noting that nearly £90m
has also been paid to claimants with vibration white finger (VWF).
Wilson
said: "At the beginning of the year, I announced that we would be
concentrating on turning offers into settlements, in particular for those of
the oldest and highest priority claimants.
"We
are now seeing the results of this approach, with nearly 16,000 respiratory
disease claimants in Wales having had their claims settled in full. A further
4,300 have received offers totalling £56m, and are under consideration.
"In
total, we have now paid out just under £300m in coal health compensation to former
miners in Wales, suffering from respiratory disease and VWF. Last year, we set
and met our targets for offers and now all the parties have agreed we must
concentrate our resources on turning those offers into settlements"
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There
is no cap on the amount of money available for compensation.
