Politicians of all stripes sometimes fall victim to the delusion that if they say something will happen the problem has gone away.
An old promise
We reported at the beginning of December that Justin Tomlinson, the Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work had said the Department of Work and Pensions was resuming their assessment of applications for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit where the applicant has pleural thickening or asbestosis. Progress has been painfully slow. It is still taking many months for people to hear the outcome of their application. Some of them are seriously ill. All of them deserve prompt help and support.
A new promise
Now Mr Tomlinson has said (on 2 March) that victims of asbestosis and pleural thickening should not be penalised and lose out on compensation under the Government lump sum schemes because of these delays.
We need to see prompt action to honour these promises. Words are never enough.
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