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Infected Blood Inquiry: Government Response

My Lords, I thank the Minister for responding to the Statement made in the other place almost to the day of the anniversary of the Statement and apology made on behalf of the Government by my right honourable friend the former Prime Minister.

The infected blood scandal is one of the most serious failures of the British state in recent years, and it has caused immense harm for tens of thousands of people and their families. The heartbreaking film shown on ITV last night depicted the terrible deeds at Treloar college in Hampshire in the 1970s and 1980s, reminding us that the story is not yet over for so many living in the aftermath of such enormous negligence. As I mentioned when we debated the infected blood regulations earlier this year, in his 2022 report Sir Robert Francis said:

“Sadly, many of the infected community fear that they have not got long to live”.

That is why urgent action is needed, and we are united across your Lordships’ House in our conviction that the victims of this appalling scandal deserve justice.

As noble Lords across the House are aware, when we were in government we made significant progress towards justice for victims of the infected blood scandal—and I pay tribute to my noble friend Lady May of Maidenhead for her role in establishing the statutory inquiry. I put on record once again our thanks to Sir Brian Langstaff and Sir Robert Francis for all their work, as well as to all the tireless campaigners, including the noble Baronesses, Lady Campbell of Surbiton, Lady Brinton, Lady Featherstone and Lady Finlay of Llandaff.

We welcome the fact that the Government have picked up where the Conservative Government left off and are continuing work to deliver justice for the victims. I particularly welcome the announcement that Sir Robert Francis, who has done so much to design and deliver the compensation scheme, will continue in his role as interim chair of the IBCA for a further 18 months.

We know there is nothing we can do that will truly heal the wounds felt by all those affected, but it is vital that we do all we can to address the pain and anger felt by those in the infected and affected communities.

I also welcome the announcement of funding for charities to provide much-needed patient advocacy services. As time passes, we know that, sadly, fewer and fewer of the victims will be with us. For them, justice delayed really is justice denied, and that is why we support the Government’s work to speed up the pace of compensation.

The Minister will not be surprised to know that I have a few questions on the Statement. In the other place, Ministers said they expect to see a significant increase in the pace of payments. Can the Minister please explain the Government’s actual expectations of this increase in the pace of payments, and what does it mean in practical terms for victims?

Ministers have also said that a new surveillance registry will be set up to monitor liver damage in those infected with hepatitis C. I very much welcome this but, again, for victims, time is of the essence. Can the Minister please confirm when this service will be established?

Finally, I welcome the fact that the Government have accepted the inquiry’s recommendations, either in full or in principle. However, I note the mention made in the Statement that the implementation of some recommendations will depend on future spending decisions by the Department of Health and Social Care. It is obviously important that the expectations of those applying for compensation from the scheme are managed clearly and transparently at the outset. Can the Minister say which areas of the recommendations may be affected by the departmental spending decisions that were referred to, and will she undertake to report to the House by an appropriate means when the relevant spending decisions have been made?