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Minister: Infected blood compensation expected to be resolved before election

Thousands of patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

Richard Wheeler
Monday 18 December 2023 18:10 GMT
The inquiry into the scandal was due to publish its final report this autumn but it will now be published in March 2024 (Factor 8 Campaign/PA)
The inquiry into the scandal was due to publish its final report this autumn but it will now be published in March 2024 (Factor 8 Campaign/PA) (PA Media)

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Victims of the infected blood scandal are expected to receive compensation ahead of the next general election, a minister has suggested.

Cabinet Office minister John Glen said the Government is ā€œnot yet in a positionā€ to give any final decisions on compensation, adding it would be ā€œinappropriateā€ to pre-judge the findings of the Infected Blood Inquiryā€™s final report.

But he hoped to bring the matter ā€œto a conclusionā€ next year after MPs repeatedly challenged him to say whether victims would receive compensation within the lifetime of the current Parliament, given an election has to take place by January 2025.

Thousands of patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

SNP MP Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire) told the Commons: ā€œWhat the victims want to hear is a clear timeline as to when final compensation payments will be made.

ā€œWhat they want to hear and see is the urgency that he talks about. Thereā€™s a view that this Government is trying to kick this into the next Parliament, that the Treasury are dragging their heels.ā€

He asked: ā€œWill he confirm this will be all resolved before this Parliament is dissolved?ā€

Mr Glen replied: ā€œThat is my expectation. Iā€™m doing everything I can to bring this to a conclusion, a substantial conclusion after the publication of the final report.

ā€œIā€™m speaking to colleagues in many departments and working with officials across Government to get to the end point that Iā€™ve set out several times this afternoon.ā€

The inquiry into the scandal was due to publish its final report this autumn but it will now be published in March 2024 due to the ā€œsheer volume and scale of the materialā€.

Mr Glen said the date of the inquiryā€™s final report is expected to be clarified on January 17 and the Government will deliver a ā€œcomprehensiveā€ response within 25 sitting days of its publication.

He also told MPs that a ā€œbespokeā€ psychological service for people infected or affected by blood products delivered by the NHS is intended to ā€œgo live in early summer 2024ā€.

MPs also heard the Government is appointing clinical, legal and social care experts to advise the Cabinet Office on detailed technical considerations to ensure it has the ā€œrelevant expertise to make informed choicesā€ in responding to the inquiryā€™s recommendations on compensation.

We are not doing enough, fast enough

Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley

The House of Commons earlier this month defeated the Government to ensure ministers must establish a body to administer the full compensation scheme within three months of the Victims and Prisoners Bill becoming law.

Mr Glen reiterated the Government accepts the ā€œmoral caseā€ for compensation and said it is ā€œworking through the implicationsā€ of the amendment approved by MPs.

He said decisions on compensation must consider the infected blood victims and the costs to the public sector.

Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley (Worthing West), the Father of the House, said: ā€œWe are not doing enough, fast enough.ā€

Sir Peter urged the Government to admit whether the delay was due to money, adding: ā€œIf itā€™s a question of money, how much, and the cash flow of the Government, say so now.ā€

Mr Glen replied: ā€œI cannot reiterate enough the commitment that the Government has to deal with this as quickly as possible and Iā€™m doing all I can to gain that consensus across Government to move forward.ā€

Labourā€™s Dame Diana Johnson, a leading campaigner on the issue, said the Governmentā€™s statement would cause ā€œhuge anguishā€ to victims and ā€œfuel their suspicionā€ that the Government is ā€œstill playing for timeā€.

Dame Diana also questioned why there was ā€œunlimited funding for the Rwanda policyā€ ā€“ a nod to the Governmentā€™s asylum plans ā€“ but not for infected blood victims.

Under an initial compensation scheme, only victims themselves or bereaved partners can receive an interim payment of about Ā£100,000.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds questioned the delay in handing out compensation, saying: ā€œThereā€™s no need to wait for the Bill to come back or for the inquiry to publish its final report to make the required urgent progress on setting up the basis of the compensation scheme.

ā€œThe Government should make good on the spirit of that commitment, recognise the will of the House, not least because in addition there was a commitment to act in the Kingā€™s Speech.ā€

Conservative MP Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) said he gave the Government the ā€œbenefit of the doubtā€ by abstaining on the vote earlier this month, adding: ā€œI have to say that if I could turn the clock back based on what Iā€™ve heard today I would now want to vote for the amendment.ā€

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