'The miners have not been forgotten'

25th September 2002

Two Saturdays ago I attended the opening of the refurbished and very impressive South Shields Sailing Club. As I saw first hand all the new facilities, two things struck me. The first was that here was a club that was already one of the top clubs in the country - but that they were still aiming higher and wanted to be the best. The second was that although the club was ambitiously pursuing excellence, the needs of the wider community were not neglected in any way. The club offers excellent training for the committed enthusiast, but also have worked closely with pupils from nearby Marine and Hadrian primary schools. They have managed to secure big money in making the whole place disabled-friendly, thereby showing a commitment to the whole community that everyone can participate.

My guess it is that this attitude that has helped the project secure the support of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust. This important body was set up to help individuals and groups in former coalfield areas to drive through local change. I remember last year when I addressed the Annual Meeting of the Coalfield Communities Campaign, I said to prosper we had to develop a distinctive local vision of social and economic renewal. I argued that the Government was already on our side but that now it was time for 'regeneration from within'. The Sailing Club is just one example of local leadership helping define something for which we can be above average and in turn make us special.

Since South Tyneside Local Strategic Partnership established the Transformation Commission and following the Comedia report, many minds have set upon determining a prosperous and distinctive future. There is however, still some 'unfinished business' for a group of people that have made such a great contribution to South Tyneside and to our country as a whole. Many miners started working underground at the age of 14 in the 1950s. There were no dust masks and few showers at collieries. Miners themselves had suspected for decades the links between the coal dust and the terrible chest diseases miners were experiencing. The Government has gone some way to offering justice and has been running compensation schemes for lung diseases and vibration white finger. Earlier this month they announced that £1bn has been paid out under the miners' health compensation schemes. This is of course a landmark figure and is testament to the commitment of Ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry.

The progress that has been made in the last six months has been huge. The Government is now paying out about £1000 compensation per minute for miners with either respiratory diseases or white finger. The oldest and sickest claimants have been prioritised first and 15 lung disease medical assessment centres have been opened throughout the former coalfield areas. IRISC who are the claim handlers, have been adding staff hand over fist and helping people in South Tyneside get the money they deserve. I've been told that our Government's compensation to ex-miners is the biggest personal injury claim in British legal history, and possibly the world. However, the news is that the deadline for when vibration white finger claims is looming. For those who have yet to claim, applications must be in to IRISC by the end of October. The DTI and the NUM have already been publicising this is in the press, but please remind anyone you know that might be entitled to compensation.

Next month I will be digging the first sod of earth at the former Westoe colliery site. In the first phase of building there will be a brand new school, 100 new houses and more to follow. I know this will be a somewhat emotional time for every ex-miner or child of a miner in the Borough. Although our coalfield may have gone and we may be forging a new and distinctive future, the miners have not been forgotten.

* For information about claims for lung diseases or vibration white finger, call the free Government helpline on 0800 0282138.