§ 4. Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)If he will make a statement on progress in respect of the miners compensation scheme. [142003]
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy)On 29 November, I was at a meeting of the monitoring group dealing with that issue. We agreed to set up a specific Welsh monitoring group, which will bring together all those involved in the process in Wales. I am sure that my hon. Friend will agree, as will all Members of the House, that it is vital that everyone involved in the process pulls together to speed up payments to our ex-miners.
§ Ann ClwydAs my right hon. Friend is only too well aware, ex-miners all over the country are still dying before receiving their full and final compensation—men such as a constituent of my hon. Friend the Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig), John Hopkins, who, sadly, died on Monday. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that nothing stands in the way of making a priority of getting sick and elderly ex-miners and ex-miners' widows to the top of the queue and that nothing blocks their way?
§ Mr. MurphyI could not agree more with everything that my hon. Friend says. She and I, like a number of Members of the House, represent Welsh mining valleys. I also sympathise with the family of Mr. John Hopkins of Crumlin, who was a constituent of my hon. Friend the Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig). The father of my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) and my father worked in the same pit. We can understand the feelings of former miners and the widows of former miners, and I entirely agree with her that we should give priority to older ex-miners, those who are gravely ill and 625 the elderly widows. I will certainly ensure that, when the Welsh monitoring group meets in the new year, we do all that we can to make certain that the process recognises the need to prioritise those people.
§ Mr. Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy)A fortnight ago I addressed a public meeting in Ammanford on this subject. It was attended by many miners and miners' representatives. Once again, I made the case that the compensation recovery unit should not apply to compensation payments. I was quizzed by a new Labour councillor and another member of new Labour, who said that the miners should not be made a special case. Is that the right hon. Gentleman's view, or were those new Labour wretches just playing politics with the issue?
§ Mr. MurphyI do not think that the hon. Gentleman should talk about "playing politics with the issue". Many politicians of all persuasions in Wales are convinced that this is not a matter for party politics, but a matter that we should all take so seriously that there is no question of party politics. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman agrees with that.
I am in contact with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security, whose Department has been very sympathetic to the case of former miners. Obviously we must consider everyone who is in the same position in terms of compensation—those who have been injured at work, for instance—but I understand the hon. Gentleman's point.
I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands) has paid particular attention to the issue. He, too, has been in contact with the Department of Social Security, and we are very conscious of the points that both he and the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) have made.
§ Mr. Ted Rowlands (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)I warmly welcome the proposal for a central monitoring group in south Wales, which may speed up payments. The arrangements have been bedevilled by a complex handling agreement, which comes not from the Government or from Ministers, but from the court. According to that agreement, priority was supposed to be given to the oldest and sickest miners and to widows. A points system was agreed, but it does not seem to have worked. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that the monitoring group sees that the arrangement under the handling agreement is implemented, so that the oldest and sickest miners can be given priority?
§ Mr. MurphyAs I said in answer to earlier questions, I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. It is vital for all involved in the process—the Department of Trade and Industry and other Departments, the National Assembly where this applies to it, solicitors, the two companies working in the field and everyone else concerned—to ensure above all else that we give priority to the oldest miners, those who are gravely ill and widows.