Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the need for the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline the number of former miners who worked in Arigna and in other mines who have availed of disablement benefit due to work-related illness; and whether there are enough resources currently available to expedite existing applications from former miners seeking disablement benefit.

I am glad the Minister could come to the House to take this very important Commencement matter. Disablement benefit has been a very welcome development for many ex-miners. I live a short distance from Arigna, which is in the vicinity of north Roscommon, south Sligo and Leitrim, and many men worked hard in the mines all their lives to provide for their families. Unfortunately, many suffered severe illnesses due to working long hours in the mines. As one can imagine, they had to work in very difficult conditions, resulting in health consequences.

In 2010 the national coal miners' group secured agreement that the Department of Health would extend disablement benefit to former miners suffering from the prescribed occupational disease pneumoconiosis, known as "black lung disease". Since this development seven years ago, which I strongly lobbied for on behalf of miners, hundreds of miners across the country have applied for disablement benefit, not just those who had been employed at Arigna but also those who had worked at Castlecomer, Ballingarry and Rossmore mines.

I am glad to say that, over the last number of years, our office has assisted many ex-miners in their applications for disablement. Unfortunately, there have been some delays in processing applications and more staffing resources were deployed when I highlighted the problem. To date, I understand that more than €1 million has been paid in disablement benefit to former miners nationally, with approximately half of that paid to former Arigna miners. The Minister might confirm these figures and outline how many applicants have availed of disablement benefit to date. Is she satisfied that there are enough resources to expedite the existing applications from former miners seeking disablement benefit? I hope no applicant is currently facing unnecessary delays.

Recognition of the plight of these miners would not have happened without the sterling work of many people, including former Roscommon county councillor Charlie Hopkins and Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, who was the Minister at the time and who became a strong advocate of the national coal miners' group. The miners were hard-working men and many of them suffered greatly. I want to recognise their vital contribution to their local and national economy. The coal mining industry sustained the community of Arigna and all the area, as well as many others down through the centuries. I am heartened that many miners affected by ill-health have availed of disablement benefit as a result.