THE BANK holiday brought no respite on the campaign trail as Plaid Cymru attacked the government's handling of compensation claims for ex-miners and their widows.

But energy minister Peter Hain hit back, accusing the Party of Wales of "distorting the government's record".

The Argus has been in the forefront of the issue for the past two years as our campaign has kept the plight of those claiming compensation on the political agenda. Bleddyn Hancock, General Secretary of NACODS, and Plaid Cymru's Candidate in Pontypridd, led the Plaid attack on Labour.

He said: "The government's preferred choice of compensation is the fast-track method - paying out only a fraction of the amount to which miners would be entitled if they waited for the full settlement. Sick miners can't afford to wait and so are prepared to settle for less rather than wait and risk losing out altogether as their condition deteriorates.

"The government has settled 8,067 cases under the 'fast-track system', with an average payment of £4,799. In Wales, only 49 cases have been settled fully and properly - with an average payment of £31,898.

"It is only fair and just that miners and their widows should receive full compensation - they should not be palmed off with a smaller payment."

But Mr Hain said his party was acting as quickly as it could. "Labour is working hard to settle these cases as speedily as possible.

"The Nationalists are only interested in using the suffering of ex-miners and their families as a political football," he said.

Plaid repeated the calls that they have been making for the past six months at the Assembly and at Westminster. They want to see miners exempted from the clawback of benefits, for claims payments to be speeded up, and for miners and their widows to receive "full and just compensation payments".

Mr Hain said: "The Nationalists have nothing to offer the people of Wales except negative campaigning.

"After problems in the past we have accelerated the rate of payments hugely and in the next five months £70 million will be paid out in Wales compared with nearly £70 million in the last three years.

"I am determined to deliver justice to retired miners and their widows as speedily as possible, we are now on track to do this and the Nationalists' negative attacks will not deflect us."