Wishart responds to infected blood inquiry progress update

Published date : 24 April, 2023

News Release from Pete Wishart MP

Attn: News Desk For immediate release 20 April 2023

Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, has responded to the UK Government’s latest progress update on the infected blood inquiry. This update came following the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s second interim report earlier this month. Among the report’s recommendations was for the compensation scheme to be set up now and go live this year.

Speaking in the House of Commons on 19 April, Mr Jeremy Quin, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, stated that work is ongoing ‘at pace’ across all relevant departments to respond to the inquiry’s second set of recommendations on compensation to those affected. However, he failed to commit the government to full implementation of the report’s recommendations and refused to provide a timescale for the creation of a compensation scheme.

Commenting, Mr Wishart said:

“Victims of this tragedy will have been hopeful that the government’s latest progress update on the infected blood inquiry would see meaningful action finally being taken, but instead it ended up being yet more bluff and bluster.

“For decades, victims across the UK have been ceaselessly campaigning for justice and thousands have died without ever receiving it, including in my constituency. But this is not a tragedy of the past. It is one that continues to devastate and take lives, with The Haemophilia Society estimating that more than 500 victims have died since the announcement of a public inquiry in 2017.

“The UK Government simply cannot kick the can down the road any longer. They must implement all of the report’s recommendations as a matter of utmost urgency, which means committing to setting up a compensation scheme now in order for it to go live this year.”

ENDS

Notes:

You can view the progress update on the infected blood inquiry (19/04/23), here: Parliamentlive.tv - House of Commons
For any further queries, please contact me on [email protected]

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