We recently wrote to John Glen MP, the minister with responsibility for the Inquiry, to express our concerns about his planned series of 25 meetings with members of the Infected Blood community. In particular we urged the Cabinet Office to be clear about the intention and provide detailed agendas in advance, ensuring the meetings offered a meaningful opportunity for engagement. Many other campaign groups and individuals wrote similar letters and expressed similar concerns.
Recently we were approached by the Cabinet Office and asked if we would meet with Mr Glen. We understand that many others have had similar communications. Initially, it was suggested that the planning of these meetings should remain confidential though the reason for this was not clear.
After some consideration we agreed to take part in this meeting on the proviso that the people we support are happy for us to do so. To date no meeting has been arranged. We will continue to engage with the community and will provide details of any meetings once these are secured.
As ever, we urge the Government to be open and transparent about all of their work on the Infected Blood scandal, including these meetings, and to act quickly to respond to all existing and forthcoming Inquiry recommendations.