Additional hearings of the Infected Blood Inquiry will begin tomorrow in London to question the UK Government and IBCA on the actions taken, and the speed of delivering compensation, over the past year.
These hearings, which were announced earlier this year, will address several key issues raised by the infected and affected community. Evidence will be given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds, IBCA Interim Chair Sir Robert Francis, IBCA Interim CEO David Foley, and the lead Cabinet Office official for the response James Quinault.
The hearings will open on Wednesday morning with a panel of infected and affected individuals, including Haemophilia Scotland’s former Chair Bill Wright.
Issues that will be explored throughout the two-day hearings include;
- Why so few individuals have been invited to make claims so far, and the reasons why so few have received compensation.
- What actions can be taken to speed the process up.
- Concerns over various aspects of the compensation scheme.
- The serious impact of ongoing delays on the infected blood community.
The Inquiry published a Note from Council which outlines the full details of the issues they hope to raise here.
Haemophilia Scotland’s Chair and Director will be in London to hear the evidence first hand and support our members travelling down to attend.
If you are not attending in person, the hearings will be livestreamed via Zoom and will also be available each day with a short delay on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel. Please note that registration is required to access the Zoom livestream in advance, the link can be found here.