To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will supply to the Infected Blood Inquiry all documents which were subject to claims of public interest immunity during the HIV haemophilia litigation in 1990.
Department of Health and Social Care
The Department supplied those documents requested by the Inquiry where these were retained in its archives.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of proposing a timeline to respond to Sir Robert Francis QC’s report in relation to the infected blood inq
Cabinet Office
Sir Robert Francis QC is conducting a study that looks at options for a framework for compensation for people infected and affected by infected blood. The study will report to the Paymaster General with its recommendations before the Infected Blood Inquir...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his planned timetable is for publication of the outcome of the infected blood inquiry compensation consultation.
Cabinet Office
I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 23 Sept 2021 - the consultation closed on 9 August 2021 and the Terms of Reference for the study have now been published online. I look forward to receiving Sir Robert's recommendations.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his expected timetable is for publication of the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Cabinet Office
The timetable for the Infected Blood Inquiry is a matter for Sir Brian Langstaff, the Chair of the independent statutory Inquiry. Sir Brian has said that the work of the Inquiry will be completed as quickly as reasonable thoroughness permits - recognising...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether people affected by contaminated blood products will have access to legal representation for the infected blood compensation framework review.
Cabinet Office
The compensation framework study will provide advice on potential compensation framework design and solutions to Government. It is important that Sir Robert Francis QC, the independent reviewer, is able to complete his work as quickly as thoroughness allo...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with (a) the Welsh Government and (b) the other devolved administrations on implementing a framework for compensation for the victims of conta
Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving l...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will introduce a full bereavement pension for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal in England.
Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving l...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure victims and their families involved in the contaminated blood scandal are able to access the necessary legal support require
Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving l...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure individuals and families affected by the contaminated blood scandal are adequately compensated.
Cabinet Office
Work is currently underway across the government on a number of infected blood issues. I will update the House shortly on progress.The (then) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry on 2 July 2018, approving l...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the announcement in Budget 2021 that lifetime financial support will be provided for survivors of the Thalidomide scandal, whether the Government plans to provide lifetime financial support to the
Treasury
The Budget confirmed that the existing health grant for those affected by Thalidomide will continue when the existing funding commitment expires in 2022/23. Infected blood support schemes were established in 2017, following the publication of the Penrose ...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make additional funding available to the Department of Health to enable improvements in the infected blood support schemes.
Treasury
The Budget confirmed that the existing health grant for those affected by Thalidomide will continue when the existing funding commitment expires in 2022/23. Infected blood support schemes were established in 2017, following the publication of the Penrose ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people affected by the contaminated blood inquiry are kept fully informed on developments in that inquiry.
Department of Health and Social Care
The Infected Blood Inquiry is a statutory Inquiry sponsored by Cabinet Office. The Inquiry is independent of the Government, therefore we are unable to comment on the Inquiry's work.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to announce what progress has been made with the compensation framework review in relation to the contaminated blood inquiry.
Department of Health and Social Care
The Government remains committed to considering a potential framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the United Kingdom.Officials at the Cabinet Of...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide assurance to people receiving regular support through the England Infected Blood Support Scheme that they will not be forced to leave that scheme afte
Department of Health and Social Care
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support. There is no intention to reduce the amount of financial support given to beneficieries.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that after the Inquiry into Contaminated Blood no beneficiary of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme will be financially worse off.
Department of Health and Social Care
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on placing material related to the contaminated blood scandal at the National Archives; what plans are in place for ensuring appropriate access to the material for the public and
Department of Health and Social Care
The Department is obliged by the Public Records Act 1967, as amended, to consider records for permanent preservation at the National Archives, including those related to blood policy. The schedule for transfer is set out in secondary legislation, the Free...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assure Haemophiliacs that the Coronavirus vaccination is safe following evidence given by Professor Ludlam to the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Department of Health and Social Care
The COVID-19 vaccine is made from a non-human source material and so there is no risk of infection from the manufacturing process. There are no components of human or animal origin in any of the COVID-19 vaccines. The quality data for any COVID-19 vaccine...
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To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the contaminated blood inquiry takes evidence at a session in Northern Ireland.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Inquiry is a statutory inquiry, independent of Government, and the procedure and conduct of the Inquiry are a matter for the Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2014 to Question 181906 on monthly payments through the Skipton Fund Stage 2 to people who contracted Hepatitis C through NHS treatment, and Answer of 17 D
Department of Health and Social Care
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s ...
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Cabinet Office
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and ...
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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made with on convening a meeting with the health ministers of the four nations of the UK to discuss the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Cabinet Office
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and ...
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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiries being undertaken by his Department.
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is responsible for two independent statutory public inquiries; the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Infected Blood Inquiry. The department has no non-statutory inquiries currently underway.
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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will allocate funding to ensure that widows and widowers in the four nations of the UK are included in Infected Blood ex gratia support schemes until the Infected Blood inquiry reports in 2022.
Cabinet Office
In 2017, country-specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These schemes are devolved, and the devolved administrations will have made different choices around their offers of support over time.We are currently...
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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Bloo
Cabinet Office
The Government believes that we should wait until the Inquiry reports before considering compensation. The Inquiry cannot make a finding of legal liability, but it could make a recommendation that the Government fundamentally increases what it pays to the...
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