Another delay for forgotten victims.

Byline: JOANNE BUTCHER ; DAN WARBURTON

CAMPAIGNERS fighting for justice for victims of pleural plaques have been dealt a massive blow.

A motion to restore compensation to sufferers of the illness has run out of time in Parliament, denying justice to hundreds of workers on Tyneside. Today, as the new Parliamentary session opens, the fight for justice faces an uncertain future.

Pleural plaques is not mentioned in today's Queen's Speech - meaning it won't be made law in the next session.

A private members' bill, which was set to bring back payouts for the asbestos disease, failed to make it through the Lords before the Parliamentary session ended last Friday.

But campaigners have vowed to keep fighting and said they won't give up the battle for justice.

Blaydon MP Dave Anderson said MPs are now looking into ways they can get the bill back on the political agenda.

He said: "We knew that plaques wouldn't be in the Queen's speech. We are working together to find a mechanism to get this through."

The battle to bring back compensation for pleural plaques follows a 2007 ruling.

Law Lords refused to accept the claims of victims, who say they have breathing difficulties and live under a death sentence.

They ended the right to payouts, saving insurance bosses millions of pounds.

Now, with the General Election looming ever closer, time is ticking away to restore justice.

Campaigners, who fear the Tories will do nothing to help plaques victims if they take power, are hoping for an announcement from the Government before Christmas.

It is believed Gordon Brown will meet with senior MPs in the next few weeks to discuss the issue.

Meetings are planned between Government and trade union lawyers and MPs to work out logistics of compensation, and suggest a feasible scheme.

An announcement - which has been promised for more than a year - may then be made.

But insiders hint that ministers might instead offer a half-way house solution by pledging money for an asbestos research centre, but leaving plaques victims penniless.

The Prime Minister last week insisted the Government is looking at the issue, but compensation is focussed on people with asbestos cancer. "My concern all along has been those people with pleural plaques who end up suffering from one of the worst diseases, mesothelioma," he said.

"My concern is to make sure also that those people suffering from that disease are given the compensation they deserve as quickly as possible."

Pleural plaques sufferer James Johnson, from Sheriff Hill in Gateshead, was disgusted that the Government were stalling again.

"It's just all up in the air again at the moment," said the 72-year-old father of six. "Everything that can be done has been done now.

"The Government keep making promises and not keeping them. They push things on a little bit, and then it goes quiet again.

"I'm not very hopeful anymore. But we can't give up, we have to keep fighting it."

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SPEECH: The Queen won't announce the Bill today