Arms Length Body Administration
Infected Blood Inquiry · Second Interim Report · Issued 5 April 2023 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
I recommend that an Arms Length Body (ALB) should be set up to administer the compensation scheme, with guaranteed independence of judgement, chaired by a judge of High Court or Court of Session status as sole decision maker, transparent in its procedures so far as the law permits and accountable directly to Parliament for the expenditure of public funds and the fulfilment of its terms of reference. Appeals should be to a bespoke independent appeal body with a legal chair which will reconsider the decision of the scheme in any case appealed to it. The scheme should have procedures in accordance with the principles set out in this report and in particular which: a) have regard to the need of applicants for speed of provision, simplicity of process, accessibility, involvement, proactive support, fairness and efficiency; b) involve potentially eligible persons and their representatives amongst those in a small advisory board, and in the review and improvement of the scheme; and c) permit the hearing of applicants in person. d) should have access to the records held by or on behalf of any previous publicly funded support scheme (subject to any necessary consents by the data subjects), and take into account the reasoning of any appeal from the decisions it takes.
Infected Blood Inquiry, Second Interim Report · 5 Apr 2023 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- IBCA was established in August 2024, chaired by Sir Robert Francis KC (Establishing the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme in Regulations, Cabinet Office, August 2024).
- IBCA confirmed that as of 13 January 2026, 3,721 people had been asked to start claims, 3,074 had received offers totalling £2.47 billion, and 2,861 had been paid totalling £1.89 billion (IBCA Community Update, January 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government — initial response
In line with recommendations 14 and 16 of the Second Interim Report, IBCA has been established to deliver the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme and financial compensation to victims of infected blood on a UK-wide basis. All those registered with an infected blood support scheme before 1st April 2025 - both living infected persons and bereaved partners - can choose to receive regular support scheme payments for life. This goes beyond the recommendations made in the Second Interim Report and reflects the recommendations made by Sir Robert Francis following his engagement exercise with the community in June 2024.
UK Government · 17 Dec 2024 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) was established as an arms-length body under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, chaired by Sir Robert Francis KC. IBCA operates independently with transparent procedures and an independent appeals process. Community representatives are involved through advisory structures.
UK Government · 14 May 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 17 Dec 2024 IBCA established and operational since August 2024. Source →
- 15 Jan 2026 · IBCA Community Update As of 13 January 2026: 3,721 people asked to start claims, 3,546 begun process, 3,074 received offers totalling £2.47bn, 2,861 paid totalling £1.89bn. Third compensation regulations in force 31 December 2025. View source → Good Progress
- 31 Dec 2025 · UK Parliament Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 established IBCA. Three sets of scheme regulations in force (Aug 2024, Mar 2025, Dec 2025). First payments December 2024. £1.89bn paid to 2,861 people by January 2026. View source → Good Progress
- 28 Oct 2025 · IBCA Independent Review IBCA has contacted 2,215 people to begin compensation claims; 1,934 started process. £812m+ paid via Horizon Shortfall Scheme. £11.8bn committed in Autumn Budget. View source → Reasonable Progress
- 22 Jul 2025 · IBCA Community Update Infected Blood Compensation Authority established August 2024. First claims for deceased infected/affected opened December 2025. IBCA accepted all 11 recommendations directed to them. View source → Good Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.