To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many prosecutions have been brought in connection with the infected blood scandal; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many prosecutions have been brought in connection with the infected blood scandal; and if he will make a statement.

It has been nearly two years since the contaminated blood inquiry report was published. People think that the matter is finished, but it is not: some 18,000 infected and affected individuals still have not begun their claims. Will my right hon. Friend reaffirm to this House her commitment to the contaminated blood community, and will she meet the all-party parliamentary group on haemophilia and contaminated blood so that we can discuss the best way to press those cases home expediently?

It has been nearly two years since the contaminated blood inquiry report was published. People think that the matter is finished, but it is not: some 18,000 infected and affected individuals still have not begun their claims. Will my right hon. Friend reaffirm to this House her commitment to the contaminated blood community, and will she meet the all-party parliamentary group on haemophilia and contaminated blood so that we can discuss the best way to press those cases home expediently?

I thank and congratulate my hon. Friend on his many years of campaigning on this terrible issue. He will know about the Prime Minister’s personal involvement in and commitment to this issue, about his personal experience of campaigning alongside the victims, and how important he and the Department consider the matter. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority has now paid out over £2.2 billion in final compensation payments, but we are very aware that there is much more to do. The Minister in the other place will be happy to meet my hon. Friend’s APPG.

I thank and congratulate my hon. Friend on his many years of campaigning on this terrible issue. He will know about the Prime Minister’s personal involvement in and commitment to this issue, about his personal experience of campaigning alongside the victims, and how important he and the Department consider the matter. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority has now paid out over £2.2 billion in final compensation payments, but we are very aware that there is much more to do. The Minister in the other place will be happy to meet my hon. Friend’s APPG.

No sum of money can truly replace the loss of a loved one. On my summer supermarket surgery tour, I spoke to one constituent who lost his father as a result of contaminated blood products. He wanted me to ask the First Secretary of State about future scheduled payments. Will she consider index-linking compensation to inflation so that delay does not shrink the value of what families have been awarded?

No sum of money can truly replace the loss of a loved one. On my summer supermarket surgery tour, I spoke to one constituent who lost his father as a result of contaminated blood products. He wanted me to ask the First Secretary of State about future scheduled payments. Will she consider index-linking compensation to inflation so that delay does not shrink the value of what families have been awarded?

I am very sorry to hear about the appalling experience of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent. As was mentioned earlier in Cabinet questions, we have made considerable efforts to improve the scheme and ensure that constituents receive their compensation as quickly as possible. Reports are being laid in the House today, and we will consider the hon. Gentleman’s question as we go forward.

I am very sorry to hear about the appalling experience of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent. As was mentioned earlier in Cabinet questions, we have made considerable efforts to improve the scheme and ensure that constituents receive their compensation as quickly as possible. Reports are being laid in the House today, and we will consider the hon. Gentleman’s question as we go forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating year-round quality monitoring at designated bathing waters for sewage, pollution, and other harmful contaminants; and whether she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Bathing Water...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating year-round quality monitoring at designated bathing waters for sewage, pollution, and other harmful contaminants; and whether she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Bathing Water...

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has given advice or guidance on the planning and environmental constraints of developing sites close to foot and mouth carcass burial sites in flood risk areas.

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has given advice or guidance on the planning and environmental constraints of developing sites close to foot and mouth carcass burial sites in flood risk areas.

Lords motion to approve. Amendment to regret debated and withdrawn. Original motion agreed to on question.

Lords motion to approve. Amendment to regret debated and withdrawn. Original motion agreed to on question.

My Lords, we must never lose sight of why we are here to debate these regulations. The infected blood scandal was a catastrophic failure of the state. It is a tragedy measured not only by the pain and suffering of its victims but by the decades it took for the...

My Lords, we must never lose sight of why we are here to debate these regulations. The infected blood scandal was a catastrophic failure of the state. It is a tragedy measured not only by the pain and suffering of its victims but by the decades it took for the...

Moved by

Baroness Brinton

Moved by

Baroness Brinton

My Lords, time is short not just for speakers in this debate, but increasingly so for the remaining victims of infected blood to get justice after one of the biggest ever failures by the British state on record. Curiously enough, all infected blood records are missing in Northern Ireland, for...

My Lords, time is short not just for speakers in this debate, but increasingly so for the remaining victims of infected blood to get justice after one of the biggest ever failures by the British state on record. Curiously enough, all infected blood records are missing in Northern Ireland, for...

My Lords, we must thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, for her introduction to this amendment. Like others, I have had some desperately sad correspondence from widows whose husbands died relatively early after infection. Infection denied them children, some suffered serious discrimination within their family, some find that their husbands...

My Lords, we must thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, for her introduction to this amendment. Like others, I have had some desperately sad correspondence from widows whose husbands died relatively early after infection. Infection denied them children, some suffered serious discrimination within their family, some find that their husbands...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, and all the speakers in this debate thus far. I continue where she left off, taking a moment to look at the big picture.

We have a huge problem with trust in politics and government in our...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, and all the speakers in this debate thus far. I continue where she left off, taking a moment to look at the big picture.

We have a huge problem with trust in politics and government in our...

My Lords, my mum Sheila Davies died from liver cancer in 2017 after a long battle with hepatitis. She did not drink, she never smoked, and I think she went out of the country a grand total of three times. In fact, she rarely ventured outside Plymouth, where she worked...

My Lords, my mum Sheila Davies died from liver cancer in 2017 after a long battle with hepatitis. She did not drink, she never smoked, and I think she went out of the country a grand total of three times. In fact, she rarely ventured outside Plymouth, where she worked...

My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Baroness. When one hears stories directly like that, they have an impact. I am so sorry for the noble Baroness’s loss. As ever, I have to declare my interest: one of my sister’s twin boys—my nephew, who was a haemophiliac—was...

My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Baroness. When one hears stories directly like that, they have an impact. I am so sorry for the noble Baroness’s loss. As ever, I have to declare my interest: one of my sister’s twin boys—my nephew, who was a haemophiliac—was...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness. I want to mention in particular the contribution from the noble Baroness, Lady Davies of Devonport, who set out so powerfully the real-world consequences of this scandal: not just the infections but the stigma that went with them. I...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness. I want to mention in particular the contribution from the noble Baroness, Lady Davies of Devonport, who set out so powerfully the real-world consequences of this scandal: not just the infections but the stigma that went with them. I...

I am deeply conscious of how much knowledge many noble Lords have on this topic, knowledge that has often been tragically accumulated through their own personal experiences and those of their families. I pay tribute to those, both in this House and outside it, who have done so much to...

I am deeply conscious of how much knowledge many noble Lords have on this topic, knowledge that has often been tragically accumulated through their own personal experiences and those of their families. I pay tribute to those, both in this House and outside it, who have done so much to...