The Government has insisted with the European Court of Human Rights that it took all necessary measures, including changing legislation, to address the problem of carcinogenic asbestos in the dockyard.

The management provided employees with masks and made sure adequate ventilation was in place.Exposed workers were given compensation allowance, paid by the ship owners, the government said. The case was instituted by 20 ex-workers and the family of one who died from asbestos-related cancer.

They claim the Government, which owned Malta Shipyards from 1968 to 2003, failed to fulfil its obligations to protect their lives against the fibre and tell them they were exposed to danger.

The government argued that it could not be held responsible for not prohibiting asbestos or for not disseminating information about its health hazards before these were known.

Full story in The Times.