published
12 series:
- Early campaigning
- Correspondence with MPS
- Legal Working Party
- Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC)
- Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
- Coroners and medical boards
- Compensation recovery
- All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health Asbestos Sub-committee
- Asbestos ban campaign
- Section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947
- Ministry of Defence (MOD) Joint Compensation Review
- Consultative panel: pathology of asbestos disease
Chronology and weight
Some files are restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
By 1978 Nancy Tait was, in her own words: "concerned with all aspects of the [asbestos] problem, since I provide information for the UK and European Parliaments, the DHSS and many other bodies, and have given written and oral evidence to the government Advisory Committee on asbestos. I am at present advising a Committee of the EEC ..." (to British Rail, Doncaster, 1 March 1978)
Includes early correspondence of Nancy Tait and materials focusing in particular on asbestos on railway and underground systems.
Some files are restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Photocopies of correspondence and papers (including press cuttings), in reverse chronological order. Includes
- Nancy Tait's call, in March 1977, for an Asbestos Protection Trust to be set up with the aim of providing "information and sympathetic advice [to those] who develop asbestos diseases and their families", and "information and encouragement [to] individuals and organisations working to ensure the safety of those using asbestos and its substitutes"
- correspondence with future trustees of SPAID, among other things seeking advice on the Health & Safety Commission's (HSC) reluctance to accept Tait's evidence
- correspondence with experts (Prof. P C Elmes of the MRC Pneumoconiosis Unit at Penarth, Prof. I Selikoff, Prof. P E Enterline (biostatistician at the University of Pittsburgh), Barry Castleman, Prof. Patrick Lawther of the MRC Air Pollution Unit); with the asbestos industry (Turner & Newall, the Asbestos Information Committee (AIC), Cape Industries); with trade union representatives including the Irish Transport & General Workers Union, and re Judge Rene Beaudry's 393-page preliminary report on the Thetford asbestos mines, Canada; according to Beaudry the provincial asbestos limit to be enforced in 1978 was inadequate
- correspondence relating to a television appearance during which Tait showed a cooking mat with an asbestos warning label, transmitted late January / early February 1977, and correspondence arising from a radio broadcast featuring Tait on asbestos (BBC 'World this weekend', 30 January 1977)
- a little correspondence with families of individuals suffering from asbestos-related disease
- copy of Tait's 'Asbestos press release', spring 1977
From a lever arch file inscribed '1976-7 | SPAID'
Contains some sensitive data on potentially living data subjects; restrict access on grounds of DPA and/or posthumous medical confidentiality/ akm July 2016
Sensitivity re-reviewed by R. Jones October 2022:
OEDA/E/1/1 - Early correspondence of Nancy Tait 1976-1977, 1976-1977
Folder 1- Was restricted but has been re-reviewed and can be issued on receipt of a data protection declaration form.
Folder 2- Restricted files will be removed before issuing
Folder 3- Was restricted but has been re-reviewed and can be issued on receipt of a data protection declaration form
Small portion restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers re airborne dust (in particular asbestos) in the London underground system. Key correspondents include MPs Anthony Berry and Max Madden, as well as the Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), J J McMorrow.
Includes:
- correspondence on low toxicity cables, 1978 (and 1982), between Nancy Tait and Berry, Madden, McMorrow, Sidney Weighell (General Secretary of the NUR) and various suppliers of low toxicity cable
- press coverage 1976-1980
- circulars of the NUR, 1980
- typescript of a report by McMorrow on a meeting of SPAID held at the Friends’ House, Euston, 10 March 1979
- correspondence with Victor Platt of Chingford, December 1978 and January 1979; Platt edited a health and safety bulletin “for trainmen on the east end of the Piccadilly Line”
- London Transport press information, April-July 1978
- Nancy Tait’s research notes and correspondence with Berry and Madden, May-June 1978
- photocopies of correspondence between McMorrow and the Department of Transport, the Health & Safety Commission, etc.
- copies of London Transport Executive’s notes of two meetings between the Management and the representatives of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, the NUR, and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, 13 December 1977 and 24 April 1978
- announcement of British Society for Responsibility in Science press conference on asbestos dust in the London underground, 28 November 1977
- photocopies of leaflet ‘Killer dust on the tube’, prepared by McMorrow and the London Work Hazards Group, published by British Society for Responsibility in Science, 1977
- correspondence re the death of railwayman Charles Maurice Hayward, 28 May 1977
- photocopies of correspondence between McMorrow and Prof. E J Shellard re glass fibre dust, 1976
A letter from Nancy Tait to McMorrow, September 1976, originally contained an extensive enclosure: Johns Manville Corporation's response to the US Department of Labour, April 1976, re the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) proposed rulemaking on occupational exposure to asbestos. This duplicated material elsewhere in the collection. See link below.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Tube' and a folder inscribed 'Tube and British Rail'
Material at front of folder 3 ('death of railwayman Charles Maurice Hayward') may require access restriction/ akm August 2016
Some contents of folder 3 are restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
- correspondence and papers (including press coverage) re British Rail 1985-1991
- correspondence and press reports re Ralph Pickett, 1974-1978; Mr Pickett (d.1977) had worked in an engineering workshop of British Rail for 25 years and developed asbestosis
- correspondence with F C Walmsley of British Rail Eastern region re effects of asbestos dust, 1975
From a folder inscribed 'Underground & British Rail'
Information about Mr Pickett's condition is in the public domain. Nevertheless, there may be grounds for restricting access to his file/ akm January 2017
R. Jones made the decision to open the file following a re-assessment- 11/10/2022
No access restrictions.
published
Photocopies of mainly outgoing correspondence, in reverse chronological order. Mainly January-April 1979 and mainly a mailshot inviting to a meeting on asbestos on 10 March 1979, at the Friends House, Euston. Includes
- news sheet of the North London Health & Safety Group reporting on its first public conference on 3 March 1979 and announcing further meetings, such as 'Should asbestos be banned?', 10 April 1979
- an exchange with Dr Susan M Daum MD re her comment at the recent conference in Dubrovnik that the pathology of disease associated with zeolite was different from that associated with asbestos
The Dubrovnik conference was the 19th International Congress on Occupational Health ‘Organisational and Social Aspects of Occupational Health’, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, 25-30 September 1978. Nancy Tait attended the meeting and presented a paper, published jointly with Jean Robinson and John Heath; see OEDA/C/2/3 and OEDA/F/6/1/1.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'SPAID 1'
Contains occasional correspondenhce relating to cases, hence (in case of living data subject) slight risk of DPA breach or (in case of deceased data subject) risk of not handling personal / sensitive date ethically/ akm July 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
See also: OEDA/H/5- 'Special' Correspondence
Some folders are restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence with Members of Parliament, in alphabetical order by surname. With a listing of MPs (dated 2002) at the front of the file.
Covers a wide range of topics including
- Parliamentary Questions (PQs) relating to occupational and environmental health & safety, DHSS/DSS policies, DHSS/DSS procedures, DHSS/DSS leaflets and DHSS/DSS shortcomings
- Dr Kevin Browne's dual role as Cape Asbestos consultant and medical officer at DHSS medical boarding center for respiratory diseases
- constituents who happen to be also be SPAID/OEDA clients
The correspondence with and relating to Eric Forth, within folder 4, are from a later accession to the OEDA papers: ACC 1628.
From a lever arch file inscribed '(33) Members of Parliament | 1979-1996 | In alphabetical name order | A-G' (the second part, H-Z, appears to be missing)
The correspondence with and relating to Eric Forth, within folder 4, is from a lever arch file labelled '1990->'.
Updated by Rachael Jones, January 2019
Some case details (name of constituent, address, nature of disease/history of issue with DSS). Investigate whether this information is in public domain, qua being revealed to an MP which presumably required the individual's consent?/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence, in reverse chronological order, covering a wide range of topics including
- constituents' industrial injuries and their problems in claiming compensation
- the OEDA newsletter
- upcoming conferences
- the campaign to ban asbestos
- the state of death reporting
- statistics on industrial injuries benefits and asbestos-related disease
- pneumoconiosis medical panels ignoring recent research and not doing their job properly
- European regulations on the prevention of environmental pollution by asbestos
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Nigel Spearing M.P.'
Occasional case details. Unless the information is already in the public domain, restrict on ground of DPA or posthumous confidentiality/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers chiefly re parliamentary discussion, 25 February 1992, on Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ compensation). Includes
- correspondence with MPs Tam Dalyell, B Field, Eric Forth, P Hardy, Kim Howells, Tony Lloyd, G Lofthouse, W O'Brien, Allan Rogers, Dennis Skinner, Nigel Spearing, Andy Stewart
- correspondence with SPAID trustees
- also copy Scottish law commission’s report (1990) ‘The effect of death on damages’
From a lever arch files inscribed 'Hansard 25.2.1992'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers relating to Clause 70 of the Social Security Bill, which imposed a time limit on backdating benefits. The bill was being reviewed by Standing Committee B at the time. Includes
- information on the composition of Standing Committee B
- correspondence addressed to Keith Bradley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, and the House of Commons as such
- copies of amendments of the Bill
- correspondence addressed to the Prime Minister and John Battle MP, Minister for Science, Energy and Industry
- proposal by Owen Tudor (Senior Policy Officer, TUC, and member of the OEDA management committee) to form an OEDA Parliamentary Panel "to give more structure to the help we receive/request from MPs ..."
From a lever arch files inscribed 'Parliamentary file | Oct '97 | Backdating'
No access restrictions.
published
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Listings of MPs matched with constituents on whose behalf they were contacted.
From an unmarked file
Assess whether the linkeage (MP+name of constituent(s)) is problematic in terms of releasing sensitive information/akm 2017
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Includes letters sent to MPs Robin Squire and Sir Geoffrey Finsberg, re case(s) of their respective constituents and attendant issues with DHSS, notably:
- failure of the relevant DHSS office to respond to SPAID and/or the claimant
- Special Medical Boards (SMB) refusing to diagnose mesothelioma, even when this was the diagnosis of independent chest consultants; Medical Appeal Tribunal subsequently diagnosing mesothelioma on the balance of probability, but awarding only 50% industrial disablement benefit; at post-mortem, the SMB admitting their error, acknowledging that the individual suffered from mesothelioma and that benefits had been wrongly withheld; payout of benefits to one sufferer's mother subsequently being nevertheless delayed
From an unmarked file
Quite possible that the names of these cases are in the public domain. Nevertheless, best to establish this before the file is classed as open./ akm July 2016
The cases in question are OEDA CF/5/3626, OEDA CF/5/3283, OEDA CF/5/367 and OEDA CF/5/4745/akm July 2016, revised May 2017
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence with Michael Portillo MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Social Security and MP for Southgate, re his constituents' problems with DHSS. In reverse chronological order.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'M. Portillo (M.P.)'
Some case details on potentially living persons. Some of these relate to deceased persons, consider posthumous medical confidentiality/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
One file is restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence in reverse chronological order, in response to a mail shot from SPAID sent out in early April 1988.
From a clear document pocket inscribed 'Winston S Churchill'
Some case details. Investigate/ akm August 2016
No access restrictions.
published
Letter (incomplete) re chrysotile and the Manville Trust, 1998. Also notes by Nancy Tait, 12 November 1998, on ‘Counts of fibres in lung tissue, using the electron microscope and x-ray analysis’, triggered by recent HSE proposals for a new study (possibly the 'population based case-control study of mesothelioma and lung cancer in relation to occupation among British men and women under the age of 60').
Only a partial sample of the letter (addressed to Mr Alan Meale MP) survives.
The Manville Trust was established in 1988 to resolve all further asbestos personal injury claims resulting from exposure to asbestos and asbestos containing products mined or manufactured by the Johns-Manville Corporation and its affiliated entities.
From a blue ring binder whose inscription 'TUC | 2005', bearing no relationship with the content
No access restrictions.
published
Letter and faxes alerting select Members of Parliament (and select Members of the House of Lords, as well as the press) to an upcoming media briefing of the Asbestos International Association.
From a blue ring binder inscribed 'AIA briefing and interview opp'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence in alphabetical order, by surname of MP.
From a black ring binder inscribed 'Letters from MPs to OEDA Jul-Oct 2000'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence (including telephone memoranda) and press cuttings re the threat posed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. Includes:
- OEDA mailshot, May 2003, encouraging c.60 MPs to raise the point that the UK had the highest incidence of MRSA in Europe in the upcoming parliamentary debate
- correspondence with BBC contacts and with Microgenix Ltd, air purification experts
- copy of National Audit Office’s report (February 2000) ‘The management and control of hospital acquired infection in acute NHS trusts in England’
- press coverage on MRSA (in the UK) 1999-2007
From an envelope inscribed 'MRSA. | (C-Diff)'
Includes correspondence with an MRSA sufferer. Evaluate/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Documents the foundation, by the Society of Labour Lawyers, of the ‘[SPAID] Legal Working Party’ (originally called ‘Asbestosis Working Group’) and some of its meetings 1980-1986. The brief of the working party was 'to examine the law and procedure on asbestosis claims, with particular reference to the inter-relationship between Coroners' Courts and the Pneumoconiosis Medical Panels'. The idea was to create a forum for helping Nancy Tait with research and also 'a useful tool for Parliamentary lobbying without infringing SPAID's charitable status'.
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Committee papers (agendas and minutes of meetings, circulated material) and correspondence.
Correspondents include MPs Nigel Spearing and Max Madden, as well as sundry legal experts among them Julian Fulbrook, Rodney Nelson-Jones, and John Pickering.
Contains case correspondence.
A noteworthy achievement of the early work of the Legal Working Party was the Industrial Diseases (Notification) Bill, read twice in January 1981, which led to the introduction of a new form of death certificate, asking medical practitioners to consider whether or not the death might have been due to or contributed to by the employment followed at some time by the deceased. The form also listed categories of death with potentially industrial origin, including asbestos as a cause of lung cancer.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'LWP | 1974 to 16 Jan 1984 | 1'
A little case information/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Minutes of the meetings of the Legal Working Party, February 1984 - July 1985.
Includes news releases, press reports, occasionally some non-anonymised case correspondence.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Legal Working Party | Jan 1984 to 16 June 1985 | 2'
Working Party papers occasionally include correspondence relating to identifiable individuals's DHSS claims and similar/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Handwritten minutes of meetings of the Legal Working Party, 1986. Includes
- papers circulated prior to meetings
- extensively annotated Parliamentary Questions (PQs) on special medical boards and industrial disablement benefits, July 1986
- intercalated clinical correspondence
From two lever arch files inscribed 'P.Qs' and '7 | Spares | PQs | 1984-86' and a green ring binder inscribed 'Parliamentary questions + statistics | LWP'
Medical correspondence on the following individuals: Mr John Bignell | Mr Dilwyn D E Jones | Mr Leonard Dilworth, deceased (postmortem report)/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
- Parliamentary Questions (PQs) relating to asbestos, asbestos exposure, Special Medical Boards, Industrial Disablement Benefit, and relevant statistics
- letters to MPs with information on this subject, and suggestions for PQs
- some case correspondence
From the front of a lever arch file inscribed 'PQs' and from a green ring binder inscribed 'Parliamentary Questions + Statistics | L.W.P.'
Photocopies from case correspondence 1987-1991 with wife of OEDA CF/5/646; also re OEDA CF/5/3424, OEDA CF/5/3233 and OEDA CF/6/10./ akm August 2016, May 2017
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) is an independent statutory body which advises the Government on the industrial injuries scheme.
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re the IIAC report reviewing the prescription of asbestos-related diseases (ADR), Cm 6553. Presented to Parliament in February 2005 and published in July 2005, the report admitted that asbestos can lead to lung cancer without asbestosis being present. It was taken to signal UK Government changes to the compensation scheme for asbestos-related lung cancer.
Structured as follows:
-‘IIAC after publication’: correspondence arising (with lawyers, trade unionists, representatives of victims support groups), including congratulatory letters and local press coverage celebrating Nancy Tait for her campaign work
- ‘Media inc Rory O’Neill’: correspondence re errors in graphs used in the report
- ‘LKA Henderson’: correspondence with Laurie Kazan-Allen and a much annotated copy of D W Henderson et al. (2004) ‘After Helsinki: a multidisciplinary review of the relationship between asbestos exposure and lung cancer, with emphasis on studies published during 1997-2004'
- ‘Ministers’ and ‘MPs’: a few press clippings and some incoming correspondence
- ‘Before publication’: correspondence chiefly re delays in the production and publication of the report, January-July 2005. Includes correspondence with Prof A J Newman Taylor (chairman of the IIAC) and a number of MPs, as well as a draft of the IIAC report dated January 2005
- ‘Hugh Robertson’: correspondence with Robertson, Owen Tudor's successor as senior health & safety policy officer of the TUC. Includes draft of the report dated November 2004
- ‘N Tait’: materials from Nancy Tait's mailshots in October 2002 and spring 2004
Also includes copies of
- IIAC ‘Annual report', 2003/4, 2004/5, 2005/6
- Cm 6553 with manually inserted corrected graphs
From two lever arch files inscribed 'IIAC | 2004-> | ARD | 2' and 'IIAC | 2005'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re IIAC activities 1998-2003, in particular Nancy Tait's campaign for IIAC to address the issues associated with the diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer.
- copy of IIAC 'Proceedings of the 1st annual public meeting, 20 March 2003, Sheffield'
- papers relating to meeting of the IIAC research working group on 13 February 2003, to which Nancy Tait was invited
- papers relating to the meeting of the IIAC research working group, December 2002
- drafts of Nancy Tait's position paper on the diagnosis of lung cancer PDD8, sent to the IIAC in October 2002, and background material, including copy of Frank Burton QC (July 2002), 'Lung cancer, asbestos exposure, and smoking after Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd'. OEDA distributed its position paper among legal and medical consultants and other potentially interested parties
- correspondence re the House of Commons Asbestos Sub-committee's decision, in July 2002, that the IIAC should be asked to look at the diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer
- copy of Nick Wikeley's presentation to the Medico-Legal Society, 14 June 2001, 'Compensation for asbestos-related lung cancer' (amended version)
Also includes copies of
- IIAC ‘Annual report' 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002/3
- IIAC (1998) 'Consultation paper: occupational coverage for occupational deafness (prescribed disease A10)'
From a lever arch files inscribed 'IIAC | 1998-2003 | 1''
Contains floppy disk in folder 1. Probability that content is available on paper: high/ akm August 2016
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence (chiefly with IIAC officials, MPs, clients) and papers. Also includes correspondence with Nick Wikeley and Dr R M Rudd.
Covers review of prescription for industrial injuries disablement benefits (asbestos-related diseases) in the mid-1990s, reform of social security in the mid 1980s, changes over time in the wording of form BI 100 (Pn) and DHSS NI 226, rules of claims, difficulties caused by the DHSS administration, lung cancer without asbestosis and the effects of chrysotile asbestos, etc.
Includes copies of
- IIAC ‘Periodic report’ 1993, 1990
- IIAC (1991) ‘The industrial injuries scheme and the self-employed in construction and agriculture: a consultation paper'
- ‘Reform of social security: programme for action’ (Cmnd 9691)
From a lever arch files inscribed 'IIAC | BI 100 PN | Lung cancer | To 1996'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re reform of the industrial injuries scheme (Cmnd 8402). Includes:
- DHSS discussion documents, draft papers and press releases 1980-1982
- some press reports 1979-1982
- correspondence between Nancy Tait, DHSS, solicitors and reporters, spring 1982
- invitation from the DHSS for Nancy Tait to attend a meeting of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), February 1982, and transcripts of her contributions
- SPAID commentary on asbestos-related diseases where asbestos is not present, submitted in response to a request for information received from the IIAC, January 1982
- copy of typescript by Alan Walker (June 1980) 'Industrial injuries compensation: the case for reforming the industrial injuries scheme', precirculated for the Disability Alliance Conference 'The industrial injuries scheme: is there a need for change?', Imperial College, London, 13 June 1980 (see link below)
- copy of DHSS discussion paper (February 1980) 'Industrial injuries compensation - a discussion document'
- correspondence between Nancy Tait and the IIAC, 1978-1979, introducing the newly founded SPAID
From a lever arch files inscribed 'DHSS 1978 | 1980 | Cmnd 8393 1981 | Cmnd 8402 1981' and 'SPAID 1982 | Cmnd 8750 | combine with IIAC'
No access restrictions.
published
Some contents restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Papers and correspondence with and re HSE consultative document for revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice (CD 205), in particular re the proposal to remove asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings from the licensing regime. Includes
- extensively annotated copy of Kevin Walkin and Geoff Lloyd (2006) 'A comparison of risks from different materials containing asbestos'
- copy of response to CD 205 by Adrian K Watson
- copy of summary of responses to CD 205 received
- copy of Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA) document 'Questions raised and HSE's response following consultation on the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006'
- summary of responses to CD 205 to be discussed at a stakeholder meeting on 4 April 2006
- Nancy Tait's comments and response to CD 205
- minutes of meeting of the All Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health Asbestos Sub-Committee, 22 November 2005
- various versions of minutes of stakeholder meeting to discuss HSE proposals to implement the amendments to the Asbestos Worker Protection Directive (AWPD), 11 August 2005
- Nancy Tait's comments on the stakeholder meeting of 11 August 2005
From a lever arch file inscribed 'HSE | CD 205' and a blue ring binder inscribed 'HSE | CD 205 – 1996-2005'
No access restrictions.
published
Some contents restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Paper and correspondence with and re HSE proposals to amend the control of asbestos at work (CAW) regulations. Includes
- correspondence with the HSE, in particular Jeanie Cruickshank and Carole Grainger
- Nancy Tait's comments on HSE consultative document CD 159 (2000) on 'Proposals for amendments to the control of asbestos at work (CAW) regulations 1987 [etc]'
- copy of House of Commons Research Paper 99/81 (5 October 1999) 'Asbestos'
- OEDA response to HSE consultative document CD 140 (1998) on 'Proposed amendments to the asbestos (prohibitions) regulations 1992'
- OEDA response to HSE consultative document CD 129 (1998) on 'Proposals for amendments to the asbestos regulations and supporting approved codes of practice'; also responses by GMB (General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union) and by John Flanagan (Liverpool and District Victims of Asbestos Support Group)
End matter is copies of scientific and legal papers including
- excerpt from J Addison & L S T Davies (1990) ‘Analysis of amphibole asbestos in chrysotile and other minerals’
- extract from memorandum of law of plaintiff, Chase Manhattan Bank v. Turner & Newall plc and Turner & Newall Ltd, United States District Court, Southern District of New York, 1989
- copy of typescript G W Crockford & D Gazzi (1983) ‘Airborne asbestos dust survey of the Lisson Green flats: final report’
- copy of 1981 announcement of HSC asbestos scheme
- copy of William J Campbell et al. (1979) ‘Relationship of mineral habit to size characteristics for tremolite cleavage fragments and fibers’, Bureau of Mines Report of Investigation
From a box file and a lever arch file, respectively inscribed 'HSE / COM. | C.D.' and 'HSE | Asbestos'
No access restrictions.
published
Paper and correspondence with and re HSE proposals to amend the control of asbestos at work regulations (CAWR). Includes
- correspondence with Michael Clapham and other MPs, including re the work of journalist Christopher Booker
- excerpts from Hansard reports of relevant debates
- printout of Statutory Instrument No 2675 'Control of asbestos at work regulations 2002'
From a lever arch file inscribed 'HSE | SI 2002 | 2675 | Nov 2002'
No access restrictions.
published
Papers and correspondence including
- copy of HSE booklet (2002) 'Work with asbestos which does not normally require a licence (Fourth edition)'
- HSE news release re HSE guidance on new legislation on managing asbestos, and transcript of Radio 4 programme with Bill MacDonald, head of Asbestos Policy at the HSE, 16 December 2002
- OEDA's critical response to HSE (2003) 'A short guide to managing asbestos in premises'
- draft historic time table on the regulatory control of asbestos dust in Great Britain, 1931 to 1990
- press coverage
From a lever arch file inscribed 'HSE asbestos'
Some sensitive information re one case, 2003; this has been placed at front of file for easy extraction/ akm October 2016
Some contents restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Papers and correspondence including
- draft HSE (1999) 'Asbestos (prohibitions) (amendment) regulations' and papers from an industry seminar on the topic in January 2000, which Nancy Tait was unable to attend
- HSE press releases
- copy of SI 1998 No 3233 'Asbestos (licensing) (amendment) regulations 1998'
- Department of the Environment (1995) 'Industry profile: asbestos manufacturing works'
- HSC Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances / Mrs M Meldrum (1995) 'Review of fibre toxicology'
- Medical Research Council Institute for Environment and Health (1995) 'Natural and man made fibres: UK research priorities'
- HSE statement on asbestos 1994
From a lever arch file inscribed 'H.S.E. | Statistics 1986 | January 1999'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence with the HSE Epidemiology & Medical Statistic Unit over a prospective case-control study of mesothelioma, for which Dr Julian Peto had been commissioned by HSE. Includes copy of research proposal 'A population based case-control study of mesothelioma and lung cancer in relation to occupation among British men and women under the age of 60'. Also photocopies of Nancy Tait's correspondence with Dr W Smither re dust measurements, 1976.
From a pamphlet box inscribed 'HSE asbestos'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re HSE asbestos awareness campaign and HSE joint press announcement (with Dr Julian Peto), 3 March 1995, announcing that asbestos is dangerous also to those not involved in its production. Includes:
- press coverage and correspondence arising
- Nancy Tait’s own press statement on the matter, timed to pre-date the HSE announcement; also draft of her article on SPAID and its achievements, written at the request of the British Lung Foundation (BLF)
- Tait’s compilations documenting Dr Peto’s involvement with the asbestos industry; that SPAID had furnished him with the relevant information as early as 1982-1983; and documenting Dr Peto's significantly lower estimates of the risks of asbestos exposure at the time
- further papers 1967-1994 with bearings on the matter
Julian Peto's latest analyses and projections of mesothelioma mortality appeared in 'Lancet' on 4 March 1995 (Peto et al., 'Continuing increase in mesothelioma mortality in Britain'). They significantly revised his findings, with R Doll, of 1985.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'HSE | Peto Report | and later | some 1982/3 papers' and a green ring binder inscribed 'Information papers'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence re the legality of second hand sales of asbestos sheets, 1997-2000. Includes extensive excerpts from Hansard report of the parliamentary debate on methods of monitoring asbestos, December 1981, with multiple references to SPAID's work.
Found loose
No access restrictions.
published
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence with MPs, trade unionists, the Home Office, the media etc., chiefly re Home Office circular 18/1980 ‘Deaths believed to be due to a prescribed industrial disease’ and ‘Pneumoconiosis and related occupational diseases: notes on diagnosis and claims for industrial injuries benefits’. Includes press coverage.
The circular in question asked for consultation between coroners' pathologist and Pneumoconiosis Medical Panels (PMP) before the post mortem report and death certificate are completed. Nancy Tait felt that such attempts to obtain an agreed diagnosis would not be made were her criticisms of PMP without substance; thus justifying her calls for a reform of the PMP.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Coroners'
Contains some sensitive information about individual cases (VP, March 2018).
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers relating to Nancy Tait's campaign to question Dr Kevin Browne's suitability as Medical Officer of the Department of Health and Social Security, whilst serving at the same time as medical consultant for Cape Industries. In reverse chronological order. In Tait's own words (20 September 1994), she had "waged war on Kevin Browne's appointment since 1987". Includes:
- correspondence (in particular with MP Frank Dobson), press statements, newspaper articles, Parliamentary Questions, 1986-1988
- correspondence with Kevin Browne 1983
Further,
- Tait’s notes on chrysotile c.2003, listing of SPAID/OEDA lung cancer cases
- copy of Browne’s presentation ‘Differences in asbestos fibre types’, presented at the International Conference on Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Products, New Delhi, 10-11 November 2003
- correspondence re K Browne 1987-1995, including re his deposition in Chase Manhattan Bank v. T&N plc et al., United States District Court, Southern District of New York [1994]; see link below
- copy of Cape Industry advertisement for a Group Medical Advisor, in British Medical Journal, October 1977
- copies of scientific publications relating to asbestos induced diseases 1977-1994
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Dr Kevin Browne | Masters spares correspondence', a green ring binder inscribed 'K Browne' and a pamphlet box inscribed 'Masters | K Browne | Cape | Oral evidence | Hackney hospital | Notes 7 | DHSS Standing Medical Advisory Committee'
Material containing sensitive information about potentially living data subjects / information that may require access restrictions for reason of posthumous medical confidentiality/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers re the interpretation of postmortem evidence on PD D1 (pneumoconiosis) and the potential impact of an upcoming Tribunal of Social Security & Child Support Commissioners hearing, scheduled for 14 October 2002 in Cardiff.
Correspondence consists chiefly of Nancy Tait urging Commissioners not to make a decision on criteria for the diagnosis of coal dust pneumoconiosis that would have unintended and unfair implications for the diagnosis of asbestos-related pneumoconiosis. Includes correspondence with legal scholar Nick Wikeley, Michael Clapham MP, and union representatives.
From a lever arch file inscribed 'NUM commissioners'
Material containing sensitive information about potentially living data subjects / information that may require access restrictions for reason of posthumous medical confidentiality/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers re SPAID’s campaign, jointly with Clydeside Action on Asbestos and other bodies, to change the rules of compensation recoupment. Includes
- guidance from Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) re changes arising from the expected introduction, on 29 January 2007, of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003
- briefing by Clydeside Action on Asbestos & Thompsons solicitors on the ‘Social security (recovery of benefits) bill’ 1996
- copy of Price Waterhouse (January 1996) ‘Compliance cost assessment compensation recovery scheme’
- copy of Social Security Select Committee (21 June 1995) 'Fourth report: compensation recovery', which was critical of the work of the CRU
- correspondence with and re the Social Security Committee and its inquiry into the CRU, 1994-1995
- copies of Benefits Agency guidance booklets 'Deduction from compensation' (1990 and n.d.)
With the Social Security Act 1989 the Conservative government had introduced a DSS benefits recovery scheme. Unlike under the earlier system, where only damages awarded for loss of earnings were affected, under the 1989 Act recovery was made from total damages.
From a large bundle of correspondence and papers on compensation recovery and two green ring binders inscribed '1991 | Compensation recovery scheme' and 'CRU 2007'
Especially folders 3+4 contain copies of case correspondence that has been only partially anonymised or not at all/ akm October 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
One file is restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Includes
- notes on meetings of the Sub-committee
- copies of agendas and briefing documents
- contributions of speakers at the meetings (including Nancy Tait)
- annotated copies of parliamentary debates (from Hansard)
- copies of 'Asbestos newsletter' (ed. L Kazan-Allen)
Elsewhere in the archive there are records suggesting that Nancy Tait's involvement with the Group continued until at least 2005.
From two lever arch files inscribed 'Asbestos Sub Com: | December 1999- | December | 2001' and 'HOC | All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health 2000 | -> Asbestos Sub-committee | Jan 2002- Dec 2003'
CHECK: Includes photocopies from case files and correspondence re DHSS/DSS cases, i.e. sensitive data relating to potentially living data subjects?/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers relating to Financial Services Authority (FSA) 'Consultation paper 108: financial services compensation scheme: draft transitional rules'.
Includes
- correspondence with Tony Worthington, MP, and other members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health Asbestos Sub-committee
- Nancy Tait's commentary on the draft transitional rules
- copy of FSA (July 2000) 'Consultation paper 58: financial services compensation scheme draft rules'
From a lever arch file inscribed 'FSA | S.I. 1820 | 2001'
No access restrictions.
published
Relates to Nancy Tait's efforts to bring about and implement a prohibition on the importation, manufacture, use and sale of asbestos-containing products in the UK.
Elsewhere in the archive there is documentation of Nancy Tait's involvement in the foundation of 'Ban Asbestos' in Strasbourg on 14 June 1991, at the initiative of the Green Group of Members of the European Parliament. See http://atom.lib.strath.ac.uk/oeda-maureen-wards-reference-files-on-key-actions
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re the work of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ban Asbestos Working Group, 1996-1998, of which Nancy Tait was an active member.
Includes:
- minutes of the TUC Ban Asbestos Working Group 1998
- draft of Nancy Tait's information document ‘Asbestos – past and present’ c.1997
- press coverage, news releases of OEDA, Labour, TUC etc.
- copy of OEDA Newsletter 3/4 (autumn 1997) with cover letter to MPs
- letter to Tony Blair PM urging him to ban all imports of asbestos
Among the Ban Asbestos Working Group members were also Laurie Kazan Allen, Laura Willard, Margaret Sharkey of UCATT, and the TUC's Selina Fairclough, Owen Tudor and Alan Grant.
From a yellow ring binder inscribed 'TUC ban' and a lever arch file inscribed 'June 97 – Jan 98 | TUC WKg Group | AIC Decorative Finishes & Licensing | Backdating ID3 | Parry – Sisal | Canadian D Cert & McGill Research | Hospital Delays | M/L 3/4'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers relating to Nancy Tait's mission to have asbestos banned in the UK.
Structured into
- outgoing correspondence February 1997 - April 1998
- 'I/c ban': incoming correspondence February 1997 - March 1999
From a lever arch file inscribed 'I/c & o/g | Ban'
No access restrictions.
published
Correspondence and papers re campaign to improve compensation (in particular concerning asbestos injury) for ex-servicemen and their dependents. The reference is to Section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act (exclusion from liability in tort in cases involving the Armed Forces). Includes
- excerpts from Hansards, correspondence with MPs
- correspondence with solicitors
- extensive material re conference 'to discuss compensation for ex-service personnel suffering from exposure to asbestos', 21 May 1996
From a lever arch file inscribed 'Section 10 etc.'
Some copies of SPAID case papers, occasional reference to identifiable individuals in solicitors correspondence/ akm August 2016
Restricted in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 1998.
published
Correspondence and papers re Ministry of Defence 'Joint compensation review', 2001.
Includes
- copy of 'New Armed Forces pension scheme: report on consultation process' c.2003
- much annotated copy of 'Joint compensation review: consultation document' (March 2001)
- mail shot from Nancy Tait to John Flanagan (Merseyside support group), solicitors John Pickering and Rodney Nelson Jones, MPs Michael Clapham, Dennis Skinner and Frank Field
- excerpts from judgement (21 December 2000), Harriet Hunt et al. v. Ministry of Defence, High Court of Justice Queen's Bench Division
From a lever arch file inscribed 'MOD | Pensions | Compensation | Hunt (some cases)'
Review the following note: "Some copies of SPAID case papers, occasional reference to identifiable individuals in solicitors correspondence/ akm August 2016" This may have been accidentally copied from another aggregation./akm May 2017
No access restrictions.
published
Papers relating to the creation of a (national) consultative panel on the pathology of asbestos disease, convened by Nancy Tait in July 1996. Includes
- invitation / cover letter
- list of members (solicitors, pathologists, and other legal and medical experts)
- overview of human resource requirements of the OEDA Electron Microscope Research Unit (EMU)
- draft of ‘Pathology of asbestos diseases: problems identified by N. Tait’
- notes on scientific literature and excerpts from the literature on the pathological basis of disease, copy of Department of the Environment (1995) 'Industry profile: asbestos manufacturing works'
From a bundle
No access restrictions.