THE compensation scheme for ex-miners suffering respiratory diseases is likely to be capped next year, the Argus can reveal.

The Department of Trade and Industry, which is handling the scheme, is planning to close it in March 2004.

The proposal still has to be agreed by a High Court judge, however, and a meeting is due to take place in the next few weeks.

A spokesman for the DTI said this morning that the scheme could not remain open indefinitely and a cap would have to be put on it.

"More than a year's advance notice is a fair amount of time," he added. There are fears that setting a date for closing the scheme could lead to a huge flood of claims and that would swamp an already overloaded system.

Already more than 210,000 claims have been registered nationwide from ex-miners, or their wives and families - and only 30 per cent have been paid.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the High Court ruling that allowed the miners and their families to claim compensation for debilitating chest diseases.

We launched a high-profile campaign shortly after the ruling, to press for payouts to be made speedily after we revealed sick and dying miners were still waiting for their cash. Thousands of miners and their widows in Wales died still waiting for compensation.

Our dogged campaign put constant pressure on officials to speed up the process - taking your concerns to the top in Westminster with successive energy ministers and even Prime Minister Tony Blair. Some 25,000 people signed our petition.

As a result of our efforts, the process was speeded up - and the government made their 15,000 offers target last year in Wales. Islwyn MP Don Touhig is to meet the DTI to discuss whether or not there will be a similar target for this year.

But we recognise there is still a long way to go. Many payments have yet to be made from those offers.

More than 28,000 former miners in Wales are still without compensation for chest diseases.

NACODS general secretary, Bleddyn Hancock, said: "The figure of 28,000 means that something like 70% who have made claims still haven't been paid."

The information comes from the December report of IRISC, the government's claims-handling company.

According to the figures, the total number of miners who have made claims in Wales in the last five years is 40,276. Of those, only 12,578 have so far received any sort of payment.

Mr Hancock said: "There's nothing wrong with making offers, but money needs to be forthcoming."

A spokesman for the DTI said they would try to pay all former miners: "Each claim is taken seriously, and we will do all we can to pay people as soon as possible."