Last week, on Sunday 8 October, Stephen spoke on a panel about the dangers of asbestos and the need for a Government plan to remove it. The panel was sponsored by the Trade Union Congress at the Labour Party’s Annual Conference.
Asbestos-related diseases are the primary cause of workplace deaths in the UK, approximately 5,000 people die every year as a result of exposure to asbestos. The Work and Pensions Select Committee, which Stephen chairs, has urged the Government to set a 40-year deadline to remove asbestos from all non-domestic buildings and to create a central register of asbestos.
At the panel event, Stephen detailed his committee’s inquiry into the Government’s approach to managing asbestos. He argued that the Government should adopt the committee’s recommendations.
The panel was led by journalist Steve Boggan, who is instrumental in The Times’ Act Now on Asbestos campaign. Also on the panel were Imran Hussain MP, Shadow Minister for the New Deal for Working People, the General Secretary of the National Education Union Daniel Kebede, and Harminder Bains, a leading campaigner against asbestos.
Asbestos is a material that was widely used for fire resistance and insulation in buildings until it was banned in 1999. Asbestos fibres can cause several cancers including mesothelioma and asbestosis.
