§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the work of the Welsh Sub Group of the Coal Health Claims Monitoring Group chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary. [103376]
§ Mr. TouhigOn the most recent figures I have available, in Wales we have paid £197 million under the respiratory disease scheme and £83 million under the Vibration White Finger Scheme, with full and final payments having been made to 13,762 and 8,632 claimants respectively. In Bridgend over £1.5 million has been paid out in respiratory disease payments and over £760,000 has been paid to Vibration White Finger claimants.
Despite this significant and welcome progress, much remains to be done. The Government intends to keep up the pressure to get justice for our miners, their widows and their families, and I will continue to make every effort as part of this process. The Welsh Sub Group has seen the major stakeholders in the process working together in a highly constructive way, identifying real improvements to the system which have speeded up payments to miners in Wales and across the UK. It has also provided a model for similar groups across the UK.