EX-MINERS and their families in Gwent have received more than £67m compensation for chest diseases, figures published today show.

The Argus is fighting a Justice for Miners campaign, launched nearly four years ago, in a bid to get speed up compensation to former miners suffering from chest diseases.

Wales under secretary and Islwyn MP Don Touhig revealed the latest figures at a meeting of the Welsh monitoring group, saying a total of £284m was paid out in Wales for respiratory claims.

Vibration White Finger payouts in Gwent total than £31m.

Mr Touhig, who chairs the claims monitoring group, said: "In total, 35,000 claims have been settled under the two schemes in Wales in what is the biggest civil compensation scheme ever in the world.

"Our priority is and has been to pay compensation to the oldest miners, those most ill and the widows.

"According to our latest figures some 87 per cent of high priority claimants and about 80 per cent of high priority widows have had settlement offers."

The following amounts were paid out for chest disease in Gwent constituencies:

*Blaenau Gwent - £17,330651

*Caerphilly - £23,501,639

*Islwyn - £19,657,764

*Monmouthshire - £990,264

*Newport East - £354,528

*Newport West - £353,528

*Torfaen - £6,557,903

But Nacods, the miners union that won the original test cases, says the vast majority of claimants are still waiting.

The Argus revealed last week that more than 41,000 respiratory claims have yet to be settled in Wales, and are likely to take around four years.

Nacods' assistant general secretary Alun Davies said: "The process has speeded up, which of course we are pleased to see, but it does need to get faster."

Former miner William Harris, 59, from Risca, first put in for the compensation in 1997 and went for the tests three years ago, but has not yet been paid.

"I'd like to know where all this paid-out money has gone - it's certainly not come my way," he said.

Mr Harris worked underground at Celynen Colliery, Newbridge, for 25 years, and hopes to use the money he is owed for a holiday before his heath deteriorates too much.

With March 31 as the deadline for claims Mr Touhig said every effort was being made to speed up the process.

He added that with up to as 3,500 new claims a week, delays in payment were inevitable.