DESPITE winning an important legal judgement in the late 1990s red tape and delays meant that many miners had to wait years before seeing any cash.
In 1998 campaigners won a vital High Court battle to force the government to pay compensation to sufferers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, finding that the former nationalised coal company British Coal was liable for negligence.
But a year later The Argus featured the case of Ynysddu-miner Bob James who feared he would die of his lung diseases before seeing any damages - igniting our campaign to speed up the payouts.
Our petition for interim payments of £10,000, launched in September 2000, received 25,000 signatures within six months.
Following criticism from High Court judge Mr Justice Turner over delays to the process, and a report from the government that revealed failings that had resulted in hold-ups.
A package to speed up claims was announced at the end of November 2001, and in 2002 then Energy Minister Peter Hain announced that 440 priority cases in Wales would be dealt with within four and a half months.
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