MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government completes legislation for infected blood scheme

• New draft laws will be debated and approved by Parliament before becoming law in March

• Over £13.4 million already paid out to infected individuals, and £11.8 billion allocated in the Autumn Budget

Today the government will deliver on its commitment to complete its legislation underpinning the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, which will widen the compensation service to all eligible victims of the Infected Blood Scandal.  

This will ensure that parents, partners, children, siblings and some carers of those who contracted illnesses will also be able to apply for compensation, and take another important step towards justice. 

Existing legislation underpinning the compensation scheme applied to people who contracted illnesses, as a result of the scandal, rather than those who were indirectly affected. 

This first phase of legislation was established in August 2024, just weeks after the General Election. It gave the Infected Blood Compensation Authority the powers to pay compensation to both living and deceased victims who contracted illnesses. 

The Government allocated £11.8 billion in the Autumn Budget to compensate victims of the Infected Blood Scandal, with these new laws setting out more detail on how funds will be administered.

The draft laws will be debated and must be approved by both Houses of Parliament to then formally be established as laws, which the Government hopes will happen by the 31st March 2025.

Once this happens, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority will have the required powers to pay compensation to all victims who are eligible under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is an independent organisation set up by the Cabinet Office on recommendation from the Infected Blood Inquiry. It has already started to provide compensation to victims who contracted illnesses, with over £13.4 million paid by mid-January.

Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, said:

This Government is determined to deliver justice for the victims of the Infected Blood Scandal and is going further than any other before.

Having met many of the infected blood community, I know the scale of suffering people have endured. These new laws will be vital to delivering compensation to people who did such a huge amount and often suffered so much themselves when caring for their loved ones who contracted life-changing illnesses.

I hope that completing this legislation and allocating over £11 billion in the budget brings a sense of reassurance to the community of how committed this government is to delivering justice.  

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