Last week, the Government made several announcements in relation to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. They have laid new regulations to Parliament, opened up a public consultation on further changes to the Scheme, and published an independent review of IBCA.
New Regulations
The Government has laid its third set of regulations for the Scheme, which amend the March 2025 regulations and implement a number of recommendations made in the Infected Blood Inquiry Additional Report on Compensation, whilst also making other changes to improve the administration of the Scheme.
These changes include:
- Removal of the HIV eligibility start date
- Removal of the minimum earnings threshold for a person to claim the exceptional financial loss award
- Removal of the requirement for evidence of the date of diagnosis of hepatitis B or C
- Changes to the deeming provisions for the severity of hepatitis C
- An expansion eligibility to include estates of all affected people who have died between 21 May 2024 and 31 March 2031
These regulations will be debated in the Houses of Parliament and, subject to approval, will become law by the end of 2025.
Public consultation on proposed changes to the Compensation Scheme
The Government has also now launched a public consultation on further proposed changes to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. Running for 12 weeks and closing on 22 January 2026, this consultation sets out questions across seven specific issues:
- harm caused by interferon treatment
- the special category mechanism and its equivalents
- severe psychological harm
- past financial loss and past care
- evidence requirements for exceptional loss
- supplementary awards for affected people
- unethical research
The Government have sought initial advice from their technical expert group, who have developed proposals in relation to these areas. The expert group will also take part in targeted engagement with the community.
We encourage anyone who has been affected by the contaminated blood scandal to respond. In the coming weeks, we will be launching a survey to inform our response, which we will publish once submitted.
IBCA Review
The Government has also published an independent review of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) and their work so far. The review commends IBCA’s substantial early progress, and also makes recommendations focused on improving the continued rollout of the scheme and ensuring it is ready for future cohorts.