- Written by Jim Reid
- health reporter
A final compensation scheme for infected blood victims could be implemented by the end of the year after the government made a key concession in the House of Lords.
Ministers have accepted Labour’s amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which means the scheme must be launched within three months of passing the bill.
The Lords’ deputy leader said the victims had “waited too long for justice”.
However, Lord Howe warned that if Parliament was dissolved or prorogued, the creation of new institutions could be interrupted.
Westminster is due to rise for the summer recess at the end of July, with a general election widely expected to be held this autumn.
“The worst-handled disaster”
In the 1970s and 1980s, more than 30,000 NHS patients were given contaminated blood products, in what has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the health service.
Approximately 3,000 people are thought to have died from HIV and hepatitis C infection through treatment with plasma and blood transfusions.
The government argues that compensating victims is morally problematic, and in November 2022 made an initial interim payment of £100,000 each to around 4,000 surviving victims and bereaved partners.
Activists say it is important that speed compensation is paid. It is estimated that one person dies every four days after being infected by contaminated treatments.
In April 2023, Sir Brian Langstaff, chair of the ongoing public inquiry into the scandal, called for a full compensation scheme to be established immediately. He also recommended that interim payments be extended to some children and parents of those who died.
Recently, the government has been accused of trying to “get around” the new deadline by proposing its own amendments to the Lords’ legislation.
Faced with the possibility of losing further votes, ministers agreed to a Labor-led demand that a final compensation scheme be introduced within three months of passing the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
In reporting the bill, Conservative Lord Lord Howe said: “The Government shares the House of Commons’ determination to ensure compensation reaches victims quickly.”
He added: “Congress and the infected blood community recognize the need for clarity on when these measures will be implemented.”
Labour’s shadow minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, who holds no portfolio, said the decision marked “another important victory” for the victims of the scandal.
He said: “The government is now under bipartisan pressure to develop a clear timeline for delivering a final reparations plan.”
“They now need to quickly prepare their bodies to pay the bills.”
A public inquiry into the infected blood scandal has been underway since 2018, and the final report and recommendations are expected to be published on May 20.