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Infected Blood Inquiry

Completed
Chair Sir Brian Langstaff Judge / Judiciary
Established 24 Sep 2018
Final Report 20 May 2024
Commissioned by Cabinet Office Commissioned by the Prime Minister

Examining how thousands of NHS patients were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. Found the scandal could largely have been avoided and victims were failed by the NHS, government, and blood services. As of 7 April 2026, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) had made 3,273 offers of compensation totalling over £2.6bn, with 3,161 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 consultation on proposed changes to the Scheme (CP 1565), announcing approximately £1bn in additional compensation payments on top of the £11.8bn allocated in the 2024 Autumn Budget, with regulations to follow later in 2026.

5 years, 8 months Duration
£146.2m Total Cost
2,007 Core Participants
Inquiry Website Official Statement Terms of Reference
Government Response
Accepted 74
Accepted in Part 28
Under Review 1
Total Recommendations 103
Data last updated: 21 Jul 2025 · Source
Data verified: 8 May 2026 (import)
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

52 debates 284 questions 45 statements since Sep 2017
Written Question Infected Blood Inquiry: Costs
Mike Wood (Conservative)
19 May 2026
Early Day Motion Redress for people impacted by surgical mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos
Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat)
13 May 2026
Written Ministerial Statement Update on the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour)
14 Apr 2026
Written Question Infected Blood Inquiry
John Glen (Conservative)
14 Apr 2026
Written Ministerial Statement Update on the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour)
14 Apr 2026
View all 385 mentions →
All Activity (385)
Title Volume Publication Date Tracked recs Links
Additional Report on Compensation Additional 09 Jul 2025 26
Infected Blood Inquiry Final Report Final 20 May 2024 58
First Interim Report Interim 1 29 Jul 2022 1
Second Interim Report Interim 2 05 Apr 2023 18
11 Jul 2017
Inquiry Announced

Prime Minister Theresa May announced a public inquiry.

Source
11 Jul 2017
Chair Appointed

Sir Brian Langstaff appointed as Chair.

25 Jul 2018
Terms of Reference Set

Terms of Reference published.

Source
30 Apr 2019
Hearings Begin

Public hearings commenced.

19 Jul 2022
First Interim Report

Interim report on compensation framework.

Source
05 Apr 2023
Second Interim Report

Second interim report with further compensation recommendations.

20 May 2024
Final Report Published

Final report published finding decades of cover-up.

Source
21 May 2024
Government Apology

Prime Minister issued full apology in Parliament.

Source
23 Aug 2024
Compensation Scheme Opens

Infected Blood Compensation Scheme formally established.

01 Dec 2024
First Payments Made

First compensation payments made to eligible infected persons.

Total Inquiry Cost (Cumulative) £146,162,778
to Mar 2025 Total Expenditure April 2018 - March 2025
Cost Breakdown (to Mar 2025)
Inquiry Legal Costs £67,290,993 Panel remuneration & Counsel to the Inquiry
Core Participant Legal Costs £27,242,761 Legal funding for core participants
Staff £12,394,166
Accommodation £7,767,036
Technology £8,536,884
Safeguarding £1,496,720
Other £21,434,218
Cumulative total over 7 years. Investigation team (41.5% of total) includes paralegals, investigators and lawyers working on the Inquiry. Participant support includes travel and psychological support for core participants.
Cost History
Period Total Inquiry Legal CP Legal Source
Mar 2025 (cum.) £146,162,778 £67,290,993 £27,242,761
Mar 2025 £5,511,059 £1,514,906 £603,277
Mar 2024 £10,301,344 £5,354,237 £937,131
Mar 2023 £28,254,992 £11,694,492 £7,154,110
Mar 2022 £32,522,939 £15,491,533 £5,778,813
Mar 2021 £34,270,948 £20,797,365 £4,505,612
Mar 2020 £25,992,907 £9,959,119 £5,742,876
Mar 2019 £9,308,693 £2,479,341 £2,520,943
Clear

Recommendations (1)

IR1-1
Accepted
Interim Compensation Payments
Recommendation
An interim payment, of no less than £100,000, should be paid to all those infected and all bereaved partners currently registered with any of the four UK infected blood support schemes, as well as those registering ahead of the inception … Read more
Published evidence summary
- The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024, establishing the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) in Part 3 (Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, UK Parliament, May 2024).
- The Government stated in August 2022 that it accepted this recommendation, and interim payments of £100,000 were made to infected individuals and bereaved partners registered with UK infected blood support schemes (Government Response to the Infected Blood Inquiry, Cabinet Office, December 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).
UK Government (Primary) Parliament: 6
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