My Lords, before the Bill passes and goes on to another place, I want to add a few words to those that have been spoken. I specifically support what the noble Lord, Lord Browne of Ladyton,
said earlier about the limitations and relaxations that may well occur in Amendment 5. Like him, I hope that when the Bill goes to another place it will be subject to further scrutiny.
3.45 pm
Like the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, I hope that the other place will look further at those who will be eligible under the scheme because of the start date. These are questions we debated in Committee and on Report, and I am sure that Members of another place will want to look at them. In particular, I hope that they will look at those people who will not qualify because the scheme was introduced on the last day of the last Session last year instead of on the commencement date of the consultation period and, in particular, at those people who contracted mesothelioma during that period. Even if small numbers are involved, it would be good if people who fall outside the scheme as currently drafted could be brought in.
In Committee, I paid tribute to the noble Lord and said that it would be unfair to criticise him for omissions in the Bill because in his discussions with the insurance industry he has done all that he possibly can to bring into its scope as many groups of people as humanly possible and to set the bar at whatever figure he was able to negotiate. Indeed, I join other noble Lords in expressing gratitude to him for being able to lift it from 70% to 75% during our proceedings. I, too, feel this is an issue of justice, and for those who believe that 100% compensation should have been given to them because of a disease that is not just life-threatening but life-taking, there will still be disappointment in some quarters. Although some of the victim support groups that have done huge amounts of work in supporting Members of your Lordships’ House as the Bill has gone through its various stages will be disappointed, I think many would agree that for those who would fall through the net—probably 300 people a year among the 2,200—this offers real hope. It would be grudging, curmudgeonly even, for me not to pay tribute to the noble Lord as others have done for what has been achieved, and I am indeed grateful for that.
The noble Lord referred to the oversight committee that will be established. That is a good step forward. We all owe a debt to the noble Lord, Lord McKenzie, for the work he has put in, not just now but previously in trying to shape legislation before the previous general election, to do something about a horrendous disease which, as we know, takes more than 2,000 lives every year in this country and which official figures predict will take a further 56,000 lives. As I mentioned on Report last week, new research from Cambridge University suggests that a combination of the BRIC countries and new forms of fibres that are coming into being could lead to a second wave of mesothelioma in future.
That takes me to the amendment that I moved last week which was lost by seven votes. I was obviously disappointed that the amendment was not passed. I am sure the issue will be returned to in another place, and I wish my friend and colleague Mr Paul Goggins
MP well. I am sure he will try to build a cross-party coalition on this issue when another place returns to this question.
Another way of looking at the issue is by the Government being asked to look at the creation of a national research centre, a centre of excellence, specifically geared to the study of mesothelioma. I cannot think of any other disease that has taken so many lives and that will take so many lives in future that affects ordinary British citizens up and down the length and breadth of this land which has had such zero-sum funding. I know that the Minister and I are at one on this. We both agree that it has been a scandal that it has been so badly funded, so while congratulating the noble Earl, Lord Howe, on securing the defeat of my amendment last week—it is good to see him sitting below the gangway for today’s debate—I hope that the proposals he laid before us will be implemented. For me as a parliamentarian, my desire is always to see something written in a Bill. Statutory provision is the one guarantee we have in bringing and holding Ministers to account. Even good Ministers have their day, and they are succeeded by others who might not be quite so well intentioned or so committed to the cause as the two Ministers who have been dealing with this Bill and this question.
Therefore, I am sorry that it is not in statutory provision, but I am glad that an increased emphasis will be placed on finding resources and ways forward in combating mesothelioma. We could not possibly remove asbestos from every public building and private home in the land, and people will contract mesothelioma for years to come through exposure to asbestos. The answer is surely to find out why this disease, which we have known about since 1930 and which has this horrendous hibernation period, affects people in the way it does and whether there is a way to combat it. Obviously the fact that it hibernates for so long suggests that there might be ways to neutralise it. This is surely where we should put our resources in the future.
I join other noble Lords in thanking not just the Minister but the Bill team and all those who have been so courteous throughout our proceedings. During the meetings I had with the Minister and with members of his Bill team I was struck by their commitment and their professionalism and dedication. Your Lordships’ House is extremely well served.