Industry Minister Helen Liddell is due to visit south Wales to reassure former miners over compensation claims.

Her visit coincides with the first meeting in Wales of the Coal Health Claims Monitoring Group.

It is thought that up to 65,000 former pitmen across the UK have registered claims for compensation for industry-related lung diseases.

Around 25,000 of them live in Wales.

They are likely to receive payments ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of pounds.

But there have been concerns at the slowness of the compensation scheme.

Back in September, Welsh miners' leaders met with Ms Liddell to try to speed up the claims.

During her latest visit to south Wales, she is expected to reiterate the government's commitment to compensation payments.

After the meeting of the Coal Health Claims Monitoring Group in Pontypridd, she is due to visit a former miner at his home in Bridgend before moving on to Blackwood later.