VICTIMS of York's asbestos timebomb could benefit from a Government pledge to speed up compensation payments.

Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said he wanted to ensure that sufferers of the asbestos-related cancer Mesothelioma received money while they could still benefit from it.

"Mesothelioma is a particularly unpleasant disease and the time between diagnosis and death is often tragically short," he said.

"No amount of money will ever compensate individuals and families for the suffering and loss caused by mesothelioma, but it is doubly important that the process for claiming compensation does not add to the distress experienced by individuals and their families."

Talks will be held with the Association of British Insurers, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Department for Constitutional Affairs to identify ways of speeding up claim settlements.

Scores of former York carriageworks employees have developed mesothelioma over the years, caused by exposure to deadly asbestos dust during their work at the Holgate Road factory, but in many cases compensation has not been paid out until after their deaths.

Mark Dawson, head of the asbestos disease litigation team at the York-based law firm, Corries, today welcomed the announcement, saying: "Any plan by the Government to speed up payments is welcome, although I would wait to see the details. It's important that payments remain fair in each case."

Updated: 09:58 Wednesday, May 17, 2006