Community Support Events

In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health continues to engage with local partners and stakeholders to ensure that the views of the infected and affected families and communities are considered in how best to approach the implementation of recommendations 2(a) and 2(c). This engagement, as well as the steer provided by the Memorial Committee, will feed into the work of the Regional Group and the department in considering the best approach to remembering the infected and affected communities in Northern Ireland.

The Cabinet Office is working closely with officials from devolved governments to ensure that the Steering Committee is given an accurate and up to date picture of all the ongoing efforts on memorialisation when it is formed.

We recognise the importance of continuing to bring the infected blood community together and the value that events of this kind can bring. We will work with the Committee to plan at least three events as per the report’s recommendations.

Next Steps

The UK Government, and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are committed to ensuring that memorials are established that sufficiently honour the victims of this scandal. The input of the community is integral to the successful delivery of this recommendation, and the UK Government has engaged with the Infected Blood community, the APPG on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood, and relevant stakeholders across government to identify suitable candidates for the role of Chair of the Infected Blood Memorial Committee. The process for appointing members to the steering committee and its sub-committees will begin, in consultation with the Chair and the Infected Blood community, following the Chair’s appointment. Once members have been appointed, the Terms of Reference will be finalised and shared publicly, alongside proposed timelines for the first 12 months of the committee and sub-committee work.

The Welsh Government is in discussion with Haemophilia Wales on their wishes for a memorial. This work will feed into the wider considerations being led by the memorial committee being set up by the UK Government.

In Scotland, infected blood campaigners have already raised significant money to fund a memorial to help remember victims of this tragedy and agreed an initial design for the memorial.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish campaigners to find a preferred location, and will seek any additional funds needed in discussion with the new memorial steering committee. The aim is to have the memorial in place as soon as is feasible, subject to appropriate planning permission and other approvals being granted by the Council.

The Inquiry’s report emphasised the need for public recognition and a formal apology for all of those impacted. The previous and current UK governments have issued unequivocal apologies for what happened on behalf of the State and this apology is reiterated in the Ministerial foreword.

It is absolutely right that both a national memorial and memorial dedicated specifically to the Children at Treloar’s are created to recognise and remember what has happened.

The Government is following the Inquiry’s recommendation that a steering committee be formed to decide what memorials should be provided and where, including consideration given to memorials in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The membership of the steering committee will reflect the experiences of all routes of transmission, those infected and affected and will contain representatives of all of the UK’s administrations. There will also be two sub-committees to:
consider a memorial dedicated specifically to the children infected at Treloar’s school (recommendation 2b); and
organise a biannual networking/support event for those infected and affected (recommendation 2c).

Memorials will be provided primarily at public expense. We are aware that some money has already been raised across the UK and that individuals have already begun to feed in their views to best recognise and remember what happened to people.

Total spent to date on infected blood commemorative events: £169,525.88 There will be a third commemorative event, the time and date of which to be determined by the Infected Blood Memorial Committee.

With regard to recommendation 2 on memorialisation, I am pleased to announce that, following engagement with the community, Clive Smith has been appointed as chair of the memorial committee.