MPs call for safe removal of asbestos

The government should begin a programme of safe asbestos removal, starting with schools and hospitals, a new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on occupational health and safety says.

And it says no new government contracts should be awarded to Altrad industrial services which owns the former asbestos manufacturer Cape.

Despite owning Cape Plc, once Britain’s largest asbestos manufacturer, Altrad is now awarded lucrative contracts to remove the material, it said.

The legacy of Cape Plc and the case for justice “lays bare” Cape’s role in exposing workers and covering up the risk of its products, including the widely-used and deadly Asbestolux. APPG chair and Labour MP Ian Lavery called on the government to “stop turning a blind eye”.

He said: “It is completely unacceptable that Altrad continues to receive public contracts while failing to address the devastation caused by Cape’s products.” He added that the government must act now — “no more contracts, no more excuses” — until a “meaningful contribution” is made to research on mesothelioma, the deadly cancer linked to exposure to asbestos.

The report supports the Cape Must Pay campaign, established by the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK, which calls on Cape/Altrad to donate £10 million to fund mesothelioma research.

NEU education union general secretary Daniel Kebede called for much firmer government commitments “to address this silent killer”.