I am proud to be a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood, which promotes awareness of, and campaigns for, people with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders, as well as people infected with Hepatitis C and HIV due to contaminated blood products used in their NHS treatment.
My job as a Member of Parliament is to represent constituents and a number of Wealden residents asked me to campaign on their behalf on this issue, so I am pleased to be able to take up the baton for them.
One of the key issues over which MPs can make a difference is the financial support available to people who, through no fault of their own, received contaminated blood from the NHS. The All-Party Parliamentary Group has been pushing hard to champion the cause of those who have been affected. We have held debates, asked an Urgent Question of the Government in the House of Commons and met with the Public Health Minister, Jane Ellison MP.
The Prime Minister has also been lobbied on this issue, with the Group asking him in writing whether the Treasury would consider a business case for additional funding of the compensation scheme for victims. In his reply, he emphasises that all options are being considered and that compensation for Contaminated Blood victims will be considered as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Following receipt of his response, the Group wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, to enquire further about his plans for the Spending Review.
The letter sent to the Prime Minister, as well as his reply, can be found below.
On Wednesday 16 December 2015, the Group successfully applied to ask an Urgent Question of the Department of Health in the House of Commons. The Government had promised a statement before Christmas on its plans to reform support arrangements for people with contaminated blood, which sadly did not materialise. The Minister expressed regret that the consultation on proposals had not yet been published, but promised that it would be forthcoming in January. The transcript of proceedings in the House of Commons can be read here, starting from Column 1555.
I welcomed an announcement by the Public Health Minister that she was to launch a consultation into a new scheme providing support for people infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with NHS-supplied blood or blood products, with the Government's response to the consultation published in July 2016.
I am pleased that the Government has announced new annual payments of £3,500 for those infected with hepatitis C stage 1 with effect from 2016/17 and without the need for individual assessments. This will rise to £4,500 in 2018/19. Annual payments for those infected with severe hepatitis C (stage 2) or HIV of £15,500 will continue, and increase from the current £14,749, rising to £18,500 in 2018/19.
Further details can be found in the consultation response document, attached below.