To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will introduce a full bereavement pension for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal in England.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.
The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving legal support funding for people infected, and their families. Details of how to apply for funding are on the Inquiry’s website - Statement of Approach: Legal Representation at Public Expense.
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure individuals and families affected by the contaminated blood scandal are adequately compensated.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.
The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving legal support funding for people infected, and their families. Details of how to apply for funding are on the Inquiry’s website - Statement of Approach: Legal Representation at Public Expense.
Dame Diana Johnson · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people affected by the contaminated blood inquiry are kept fully informed on developments in that inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The Infected Blood Inquiry is a statutory Inquiry sponsored by Cabinet Office. The Inquiry is independent of the Government, therefore we are unable to comment on the Inquiry's work.
Dame Diana Johnson · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to announce what progress has been made with the compensation framework review in relation to the contaminated blood inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The Government remains committed to considering a potential framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the United Kingdom.
Officials at the Cabinet Office are working with colleagues in HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and health departments in the devolved administrations on this review.
Dame Diana Johnson · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide assurance to people receiving regular support through the England Infected Blood Support Scheme that they will not be forced to leave that scheme afte
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support. There is no intention to reduce the amount of financial support given to beneficieries.
Dame Diana Johnson · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that after the Inquiry into Contaminated Blood no beneficiary of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme will be financially worse off.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support.
Stuart C McDonald · Scottish National PartyAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on placing material related to the contaminated blood scandal at the National Archives; what plans are in place for ensuring appropriate access to the material for the public and for the Infected Blood Inquiry; and whether documents previously declared lost are included and identifiable.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The Department is obliged by the Public Records Act 1967, as amended, to consider records for permanent preservation at the National Archives, including those related to blood policy. The schedule for transfer is set out in secondary legislation, the Freedom of Information (Definition of Historical Records) (Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2012.
The Infected Blood Inquiry has reviewed thousands of files from the Department and has always been free to request access to files they wish to review. We have been transparent in making available documents believed to have been lost but subsequently returned by third party solicitors, having already made these available on the Department’s website in 2006.
Ian Lavery · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assure Haemophiliacs that the Coronavirus vaccination is safe following evidence given by Professor Ludlam to the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The COVID-19 vaccine is made from a non-human source material and so there is no risk of infection from the manufacturing process. There are no components of human or animal origin in any of the COVID-19 vaccines. The quality data for any COVID-19 vaccine is robustly and thoroughly reviewed with scientific rigour before approval of the vaccine to ensure safety for all, including those with haemophilia. In addition, each batch is tested to ensure the absence of contaminating viruses and other microorganisms. This orthogonal approach, which is applied to all medicinal products and vaccines including the COVID-19 vaccines ensures that no batch of product would ever be released for use if it were to contain any viral or microbiological contaminants.
Colum Eastwood · Social Democratic & Labour PartyAnswering body: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the contaminated blood inquiry takes evidence at a session in Northern Ireland.
Government answer
Answering body: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Inquiry is a statutory inquiry, independent of Government, and the procedure and conduct of the Inquiry are a matter for the Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff.
Dame Diana Johnson · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2014 to Question 181906 on monthly payments through the Skipton Fund Stage 2 to people who contracted Hepatitis C through NHS treatment, and Answer of 17 December 2014 to Question 218002 on monthly payments from MFET Ltd to people who contracted HIV through NHS treatment, whether people who meet the Hepatitis C Stage 1 and Hepatitis C Special Category Mechanism under the EIBSS eligibility crite...
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 80s.
The England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) was established in 2017. Devolved support schemes were also set up in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. This model of support replaced that historically provided by the Alliance House organisations, which included the Skipton Fund.
EIBSS provides tiered non-discretionary annual payments to eligible infected beneficiaries, based on their type and stage of infection. The majority of beneficiaries opt for these payments to be split into monthly instalments.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made with on convening a meeting with the health ministers of the four nations of the UK to discuss the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and health departments in the devolved administrations to take forward the actions necessary to address these disparities and Cabinet Office officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the progress of this work. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of such discussions are not normally disclosed.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and health departments in the devolved administrations to take forward the actions necessary to address these disparities and Cabinet Office officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the progress of this work. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of such discussions are not normally disclosed.
Lee Anderson · ConservativeAnswering body: Cabinet Office
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is responsible for two independent statutory public inquiries; the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Infected Blood Inquiry. The department has no non-statutory inquiries currently underway.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will allocate funding to ensure that widows and widowers in the four nations of the UK are included in Infected Blood ex gratia support schemes until the Infected Blood inquiry reports in 2022.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
In 2017, country-specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These schemes are devolved, and the devolved administrations will have made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are currently working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments on taking forward actions to address the disparities in financial and non-financial support for those infected and affected across the UK, including bereaved partners.
The report's timetable is a matter for the Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff. Sir Brian has publicly recognised the need to balance between speed and the need for thoroughness, and has made clear that the Inquiry will complete its work as quickly as a thorough examination of the facts allows.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The Government believes that we should wait until the Inquiry reports before considering compensation. The Inquiry cannot make a finding of legal liability, but it could make a recommendation that the Government fundamentally increases what it pays to the infected and affected, and that it does so on a different basis. Government will act on the Inquiry's recommendations with the utmost urgency, when it reports.
In the meantime, we are working with our partners in the devolved nations, including Northern Ireland, and other relevant Government departments to improve the parity of financial support for those infected by the infected blood scandal, across the United Kingdom.
The Department of Health NI was allocated £1.03 million in January 2020 monitoring, ringfenced for the specific purpose of providing financial support to the infected and affected.
Of this £610,780 was committed in the interim payments announced on 27 January and has been paid out. Therefore £419,220 remains, which the NI Health Minister committed to allocating before the end of this financial year.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to meet representatives of victims and families of the contaminated blood scandal on a framework for compensation, before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
In January 2020, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health met campaigners representing people infected and affected. A number of issues were raised, including support that would assist people outside of the inquiry process. Ministers have committed to looking at these issues carefully and to report back on where progress can be made.
Deidre Brock · Scottish National PartyAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend the compensation scheme for carers of victims of contaminated blood transfusions beyond widows and partners.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 80s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These four schemes are devolved, and each nation has made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any on compensation and other support.
Jo Stevens · LabourAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure parity of financial compensation for people affected by the infected blood scandal in each nation of the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The Government established the England Infected Blood Support Scheme in 2017 to provide dedicated ex-gratia financial and non-financial support to people infected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products, and their affected families. This scheme is currently administered by NHS Business Services Authority.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including those on compensation.
Deidre Brock · Scottish National PartyAnswering body: Cabinet Office
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria his Department uses to select the patient-side participants in meetings on resolving the contaminated blood scandal.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The attendance list for the recent meeting between Ministers and campaigners was the subject of careful consideration by Cabinet Office to ensure representation from a wide range of groups across the infected and affected communities.
The agenda for the 28 January meeting was circulated to attendees before the meeting. The record of the meeting has been circulated to attendees for comments on factual accuracy. The Cabinet Office has no plans to publish the minute.
Deidre Brock · Scottish National PartyAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide resources to ensure that the palliative care of victims of the contaminated blood transfusions involves medical experts in the diseases contracted by those victims as a result of the contaminated transfusions.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 80s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These four schemes are devolved, and each nation has made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any on compensation and other support.
Deidre Brock · Scottish National PartyAnswering body: Cabinet Office
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) agendas and (b) minutes of the meetings with patient-side participants on the contaminated blood scandal.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The attendance list for the recent meeting between Ministers and campaigners was the subject of careful consideration by Cabinet Office to ensure representation from a wide range of groups across the infected and affected communities.
The agenda for the 28 January meeting was circulated to attendees before the meeting. The record of the meeting has been circulated to attendees for comments on factual accuracy. The Cabinet Office has no plans to publish the minute.
David Duguid · ConservativeAnswering body: Cabinet Office
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
The timetable for the Infected Blood Inquiry is a matter for the Chair of the independent statutory Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff. Sir Brian has publicly recognised the need to achieve a proper balance between speed and the need for thoroughness, and has made clear that the Inquiry will complete its work as quickly as a thorough examination of the facts allows.
David Duguid · ConservativeAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on short-term financial support for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, responsibility for these is devolved to the four nations.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to consult people affected by the Contaminated Blood Scandal on the (a) effect of infection on their health and (b) adequacy of the treatment they received.
Government answer
Answering body: Cabinet Office
I will be meeting with members of the infected and affected community on Tuesday 28th January 2020 to listen to their experiences, so that I can hear first-hand about the issues that matter most to them.
David Duguid · ConservativeAnswering body: Department of Health and Social Care
Parliamentary excerpt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made in the inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal; and if he will make a statement.
Government answer
Answering body: Department of Health and Social Care
The Infected Blood Inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff (a retired High Court Judge) and sponsored by Cabinet Office has been sitting since September 2018. So far, the inquiry has heard written and oral evidence from hundreds of those ‘infected and affected’.
The next session of the Inquiry will begin in February 2020, when it will hear from its own expert panel on the ‘psycho-social impact’ of infection and what followed for individuals. Evidence from ‘institutional’ witnesses such as from Government and the National Health Service is expected to be sought later this year.