On Friday 26 July, the new Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds MP made a statement to the House of Commons on the Government’s progress in responding to the infected blood inquiry’s report.
He then answered questions from the Shadow Paymaster General John Glen MP (who was Paymaster General before the general election) and 20 other MPs.
Overview of Nick Thomas-Symonds’ announcement and answers about plans for compensation:
- On 24 June, further interim payments of £210,000 were made to beneficiaries of the infected blood support schemes who had received infected blood or blood products, bringing the total paid in compensation to more than £1 billion. He acknowledged “that this is not enough, given that many others have also been waiting for far too long”.
- Some progress had been made towards getting an interim compensation payment of £100,000 to bereaved families who have so far not received any compensation, however, registration for this will not open until October 2024.
- The Cabinet Office is working closely with the administrators of the existing infected blood support schemes to establish the process for making these payments, “to ensure that these payments are made as soon as we are able to”. He pledged to set out further details in due course.
- The Government still plans to meet the 24 August deadline for laying regulations to establish the design of the compensation scheme.
- Thomas-Symonds has been consulting with Infected Blood Compensation Authority interim chair Sir Robert Francis about the content of the compensation scheme, to draw on Sir Robert’s advice and his consultations with the infected blood community. Thomas-Symonds said he is “considering [Sir Robert’s] advice carefully, with a view to publishing both his report and the Government’s position on it in advance of 24 August”.
- Final compensation payments are expected to begin by the end of the year.
- Regarding the future of infected blood support scheme, Thomas-Symonds said “the current proposal is that no immediate changes will be made”:
- Payments will continue to be made at the same level until 31 March 2025, and they will not be deducted from any compensation awards.
- From 1 April 2025, people who receive the England Infected Blood Support Scheme payments will continue to receive them until such time that their case is assessed under the new scheme by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. Once assessed under the scheme, the applicant will be able to choose how to receive their compensation, either as a lump-sum or periodic payment.
- The Government would consider how best to support victims through the probate process to ensure that compensation payments reach those most impacted.
- Responding to a question about “lessons from previous compensation schemes” and a recent report by the National Audit Office on this, Thomas-Symonds said the Government would seek to learn “where they have gone well, and, frankly, where they have gone not so well—where, after looking at and reflecting upon them, we see that the proportion of money that we wanted to go to victims did not quite make it.”
Other comments:
- Thomas-Symonds emphasised the need for close working with devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including regarding memorials for victims in different parts of the UK.
- He reiterated that the Government will bring forward legislation to place a “duty of candour” on public servants and authorities in order to prevent similar scandals, which was announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July. He also pledged that there will be a full debate in Parliament on the content of the Inquiry’s final report by the end of the year, and said that the Government is currently considering Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations and we will provide an update to Parliament by the end of the year on the progress that we are making on responding to them.
You can watch the statement and questions here or read a transcript here.