Following receipt of a joint letter (see our post of 06/12/2024) from The Haemophilia Society, Haemophilia Scotland, Haemophilia Northern Ireland and other campaign groups Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry, has responded with a letter to the Paymaster General.
Sir Brian calls on the Minister to ensure that engagement with the infected blood community is meaningful and informed by the findings of the Inquiry.
He observes that the concerns being raised by the community should make any objective observer deeply uncomfortable. He goes on to reiterate the principles recommended by the Inquiry of engagement with and involvement of the community in decisions that affect them, which is sadly missing from the approach adopted by the current government.
He notes that a series of meetings planned for tomorrow (11th December) is the first opportunity that campaign groups have had to engage directly with the government. We would say that the time allocated is woefully inadequate for any meaningful discussion.
Sir Brian also questions – as we have done – the independence of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority where so much of what they do is driven by government policy and direction from the Cabinet Office.
The letter closes with a call for openness and transparency by the government.
The full terms of Sir Brian’s letter is available here.