Hansard

I am pleased to lead, for a fourth year, the debate on action mesothelioma day. Members will know the huge importance of the issue to me and my constituents. The debate is an important chance to raise awareness of this cruel disease and to highlight where we still need to push for action.

I thank colleagues from across the chamber for supporting my motion and for speaking in the debate. The issue deserves cross-party support, so it is very welcome that that has been achieved.

I ask everyone to join me in welcoming people from Clydebank Asbestos Group and Asbestos Action to our national Parliament. It really means a lot to have them here to support today’s event. Both groups have been assisting asbestos victims for many years and have campaigned relentlessly for truth and justice. Clydebank Asbestos Group, which I am grateful to have a close working relationship with, has been working hard for my constituents for the past 33 years, and is always there for victims and their families at the time of greatest need. I am so appreciative to have the group in my constituency, and I will be forever grateful to it for the work that it does.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that is usually caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. I congratulate ActionMeso and all the support groups up and down the country on their efforts to raise awareness of the disease.

Unfortunately, since our previous meso debate, we have sadly lost our amazing volunteer Kate Ferrier, on Hogmanay last year. Kate was a volunteer with Clydebank Asbestos Group for more than five years and, shortly after joining, took up the post of secretary. Kate’s passing is a huge loss and she will be incredibly missed by all who knew her. Kate chose to volunteer with CAG when she retired, and was drawn to the charity because of her support for her father, following a diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease. I am so grateful for Kate’s dedication and commitment to supporting victims of asbestos exposure and their families over many years.

Clydebank, which is my home town and part of my constituency, has an appalling asbestos legacy. It was once described as the mesothelioma capital of Europe. That is why action mesothelioma day is so important to my constituents and our town. Held this year on 4 July, it is a national event to raise awareness of asbestos and mesothelioma, to raise vital funds to support research into tackling mesothelioma and to remember and support those who have been impacted by the disease.

In last year’s debate, I highlighted the disgraceful three-year time bar that has denied justice for those who receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma. That time bar means that, if a person is diagnosed with pleural plaques—a usually asymptomatic condition—they have three years to raise a claim for damages, even if they later develop mesothelioma. That is an appalling injustice, so it is welcome that the Scottish Law Commission has published a report on the issue, which recommends resolving the pleural plaques time bar problem so that an asymptomatic condition such as pleural plaques will no longer result in a time bar preventing recovery of damages for a later developing symptomatic condition such as mesothelioma.

The potential for people to be denied justice because of the three-year time bar has no place in a just compensation system, which is why I have secured a meeting with Clydebank Asbestos Group and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, to progress the issue. We want the Scottish Government to implement the recommendations as soon as possible, because justice delayed is justice denied.

My partnership with Clydebank Asbestos Group is strong and has shared goals in the campaign for truth and justice on issues such as a more compassionate and responsive social security system compared with the system previously provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, and the phased removal of asbestos from public buildings, starting with schools. I am firmly on CAG’s side in support of the Cape must pay campaign. Never has there been a stronger example of greed for private profit being put before the safety of workers. Unfortunately, that is the motivating factor in so many cases of asbestos exposure and the exploitation of workers. The campaign demands that Cape Intermediate Holdings, which is owned by Altrad, donates £10 million to mesothelioma research.

Cape Intermediate Holdings was one of the largest asbestos companies in the world and was reported to have played a large part in the increase of asbestos-related diseases and mortality across the UK. After a lengthy court battle, documents were obtained proving that Cape hid the true dangers of its asbestos products in the 1960s and 1970s, resulting in many people dying. Altrad has a moral obligation to right some of that wrong, and donating to research would be a good start. It has so far refused to meet those demands, but Clydebank Asbestos Group has been pushing forward tirelessly with the campaign. It recently attended protests at the rugby world cup, which featured two teams that were sponsored by Altrad.

Along with Clydebank Asbestos Group, I will continue to push to see justice achieved from Cape. The time is now to support victims. They cannot wait any longer, because time is not on their side. I will soon bring a motion to Parliament on the issue, with wording agreed with the Clydebank Asbestos Group and other campaigners. I hope that, like the motion today, it will receive the widest possible cross-party support. Action mesothelioma day serves as a chance to commemorate all those who have been lost to this cruel disease. In Clydebank, we have the international asbestos memorial, which sits in the centre of Clydebank, in Truth and Justice Square.

Clydebank Asbestos Group recently opened an online memorial, which was launched on international workers memorial day. The online memorial is open to anyone who would like to commemorate a loved one who has died from an asbestos-related illness. That is such a great way to remember those we have lost, and I commend the group for it.

We must deal with asbestos on all fronts, and we must support those who are diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses by offering help when it is needed. I promise that I will continue to do everything in my power to work to achieve everything that we can in our fight for truth and justice.