Our CEO Rachel Halford has called on the Government to act on Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations without delay and to ask for clarification on the Government’s intentions in setting up a compensation scheme for those affected by the infected blood scandal.
The demand was set out in a letter sent to the Home Office Minister Jeremy Quin on 12 April 2023. The full text of the letter is below.
Letter to Jeremy Quin MP
Dear Mr Quin,
I am writing to you following last week’s publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim Report to urge you to act on Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations without delay and to ask for clarification on the Government’s intentions.
The Hepatitis C Trust strongly supports Sir Brian’s recommendation for the immediate establishment of a full compensation scheme for those affected by the infected blood scandal. We also warmly welcome his call to extend interim payments to groups that have not previously being eligible for financial support payments, such as bereaved parents, children and siblings and those who were given hepatitis C after September 1991.
The Hepatitis C Trust also unreservedly backs Sir Brian’s recommendation that action by the Government can and should take place now, rather than awaiting the Inquiry’s final report. As you know, those infected and affected as a result of the infected blood scandal have waited decades for justice. With more than 500 people affected by the scandal estimated to have died since the Inquiry began – in addition to the thousands who had already died – there is no time to waste in delivering compensation to surviving victims and others affected.
There have been conflicting reports in the media as to whether the Government intends to accept Sir Brian’s recommendation to act now in advance of his final report. I would welcome clarification from you regarding the Government’s response to Sir Brian’s recommendations and hope that you will be able to confirm your intention to immediately act upon them in full.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Rachel Halford
Chief Executive,
The Hepatitis C Trust
Write to your MP
We encourage all of our supporters to write to their MPs to call for immediate action on this important issue.
You can find out how to contact your MP by entering your postcode on the UK Parliament website.
We have included a template letter you can use to write to your MP below, but please include your own reasons why this is important to you.
If you receive a response from your MP, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Aidan.Rylatt@hepctrust.org.uk to let us know what they have said.