To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will provide the response to his Department's consultation on supporting people with pleural plaques launched in July 2008.

The House of Lords decision has raised extremely complex and difficult issues which have required very careful consideration within Government. It has also been important to look beyond the issue of pleural plaques itself to consider how people who have been exposed to asbestos can be supported much more widely. We are actively considering all these issues in order to be in a position to publish a final response as soon as possible.