Immediate Establishment of Scheme
Infected Blood Inquiry · Second Interim Report · Issued 5 April 2023 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
I recommend that a compensation scheme should be set up now and it should begin work this year.
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 and began processing claims (Establishing the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme in Regulations, Cabinet Office, August 2024).
- The Government stated in December 2024 that the scheme was established and operational, with over £1 billion paid in interim compensation (Government Response to the Infected Blood Inquiry, Cabinet Office, December 2024).
- IBCA confirmed that as of 13 January 2026, 2,861 people had been paid totalling £1.89 billion (IBCA Community Update, January 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government — initial response
Recommendation 18 of the Second Interim Report recommended that the Government set up the compensation scheme upon publication of the Second Interim Report in April 2023, and that it should begin work as soon as possible in that year. The then Government was clear that it would respond to the Second Interim Report following the publication of the Inquiry's May 2024 report, and has done so in the establishment of the compensation scheme.
UK Government · 17 Dec 2024 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 established the legal basis for the compensation scheme. IBCA was established and began accepting claims in 2024, with first payments made in December 2024.
UK Government · 14 May 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 17 Dec 2024 Scheme established and operational. As of 7 April 2026, 3,273 offers of compensation totalling over £2.6bn had been made, with 3,161 offers accepted, in addition to £1.4bn already paid in interim payments; IBCA had contacted 3,942 people and 3,754 had started the claim process. On 14 April 2026 the Government published its response to the public consultation on proposed changes to the Scheme (CP 1565), announcing approximately £1 billion in additional compensation payments on top of the £11.8 billion allocated in the 2024 Autumn Budget. Regulations to implement the further changes will be brought forward later in 2026. Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-infected-blood-compensation-scheme-will-improve-support-for-victims; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69ddf5fd7e2086c62da2f152/Government_response_to_consultation_on_proposed_changes_to_the_infected_blood_compensation_scheme__PDF_.pdf 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.