Public Inquiry
Infected Blood Inquiry interim report recommends interim compensation
Written by Aaron Dennis, July 29, 2022
The Infected Blood Inquiry has this afternoon published an Interim Report from the chair Sir Brian Langstaff calling for interim payments to be made to all people infected by contaminated blood products and all bereaved partners registered on the support schemes.
We welcome the announcement today from Sir Brian, in which he calls for an interim payment to be paid, without delay, to all those infected and all bereaved partners currently registered on UK infected blood support schemes, and those who register between now and the inception of any future scheme. He goes on to say that the amount should be no less than £100,000, as recommended by Sir Robert Francis QC.
Sir Brian has written to the minister responsible for the inquiry, Paymaster General Michael Ellis this afternoon to put forward the two recommendations in his report. The interim report considers whether interim payments should be paid as per recommendation 14 of Sir Robert Francis’ study into a framework for compensation.
The report does not mention the other aspects and recommendations in Sir Robert Francis’ report such as the work that can begin now to set up the final compensation framework in shadow form, begin collecting data and forming panels or the required changes to the infected blood support schemes to increase payments and put them on a secure legal footing. We will continue to campaign for full compensation and justice for all those infected and affected by contaminated blood products.
We urge the government to honour past promises made at this Inquiry and accept and implement these interim recommendations immediately. The infected and bereaved partners should not have to wait any longer to receive these payments as there is a clear mechanism already in place to deliver these much-needed payments through the infected blood support schemes.
Kate Burt, THS Chief Executive, said: “The Government has ignored the urgent and compelling case for interim compensation payments for too long. Today’s recommendations leave no room for doubt: many of those infected or bereaved are ill and dying and need compensation now.”